Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Friday asserted that the party remains strong despite the recent defection of six Lok Sabha MPs to the rival Shiv Sena faction led by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
Speaking ahead of party chief Uddhav Thackeray's proposed tour of the constituencies represented by the defecting MPs, Raut stressed the need for a gradual generational transition within the party and backed youth leader Aaditya Thackeray for a larger leadership role.
"The next generation should take command after senior leaders have served for 40 years. Aaditya is already doing that and will officially do so in the future. He (Aaditya) has the capability, and we will welcome him," Raut said.
Aaditya Thackeray, the Worli MLA and president of the party's youth wing, served as Maharashtra's environment minister during the Maha Vikas Aghadi government between November 2019 and June 2022.
Raut refused to describe the defecting MPs as "rebels", saying the term should be reserved for freedom fighters such as Bhagat Singh and Sukhdev rather than politicians who switch sides for power and protection.
Alleging that the MPs had "sold themselves for crores of rupees", he claimed that the party's grassroots cadre continued to stand firmly behind Uddhav Thackeray.
The Rajya Sabha member said Uddhav Thackeray's upcoming tour would help explain the party's position directly to voters and workers in the affected constituencies.
The six MPs who joined the ruling Shiv Sena on June 22 are Sanjay Dina Patil (Mumbai North East), Omprakash Rajenimbalkar (Dharashiv), Sanjay Deshmukh (Yavatmal-Washim), Sanjay Jadhav (Parbhani), Bhausaheb Wakchaure (Shirdi) and Nagesh Patil Ashtikar (Hingoli).
Questioning the confidence displayed by the defectors, Raut said, "We will see how confident they are after our tour. When you get Z-plus security after betrayal, your confidence increases."
Responding to claims by former party colleagues that he was responsible for their exit, Raut said, "Because I am loyal to the party and Balasaheb Thackeray's ideology. They also tried to break me many times. I had tried to stop the earlier defections, including Eknath Shinde's, by warning them that power is temporary, and they should not commit the sin of breaking Balasaheb's party."
He further alleged that political defections were often driven by money and fear of central agencies such as the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
"Just give us ED and CBI for one hour, then we will show them," he said.
Referring to the ongoing war of words with former MP Sanjay Dina Patil, Raut claimed that no party worker had accompanied the defecting MPs to the rival camp.
He also remarked that while political parties have split in the past, it was unprecedented for a breakaway faction leader to gain control of the original party, an apparent reference to Eknath Shinde's faction being recognised as the official Shiv Sena following the 2022 split.
(With inputs from PTI)
