Aaditya Thackeray slams Sharad Pawar for honouring ‘anti-Maharashtra, anti-national' Eknath Shinde

Aditya Thackeray criticised Eknath Shinde as anti-Maharashtra after Sharad Pawar honoured him, escalating tensions in the MVA.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aditya Thackeray hit out at Maharashtra deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde, calling him “anti-Maharashtra” and saying those who betray the state are “anti-national".

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aditya Thackeray(Hindustan Times)

His remarks came after NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar felicitated Shinde, triggering tensions within the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA).

“Those who are anti-Maharashtra are anti-nationals. We cannot honour such persons who indulge in such dirty work. This goes against our principles. I am not aware of his (Sharad Pawar’s) principles,” Aaditya Thackeray said.

Thackeray met Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in Delhi during the political turmoil on Wednesday. The two leaders also discussed allegations against the Election Commission over the conduct of elections.

He also met former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, whose Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) suffered a major defeat in the recent assembly polls.

The Kejriwal-led AAP has accused the Congress, which failed to win a single seat for the third consecutive election, of undermining its prospects on at least 13 seats.

The Maha Vikas Aghadi has been unsettled since Sharad Pawar conferred the Mahadji Shinde Rashtra Gaurav Puraskar on Shinde, who split the Shiv Sena in 2022 and toppled Uddhav Thackeray’s government with BJP’s backing.

The ruling Mahayuti alliance of BJP, Shiv Sena, and Ajit Pawar-led NCP dominated the November assembly polls, winning 235 of 288 seats, while the opposition MVA managed just 50.

In Delhi, BJP won 48 of 70 seats in the February 5 assembly polls, while AAP secured 22.

The crisis within MVA deepened after Sena (UBT) mouthpiece Saamana said that the party might contest the upcoming Mumbai civic polls independently, rather than as part of the coalition.

A day later, senior Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar reignited tensions, blaming the alliance’s poor performance in the assembly elections on prolonged seat-sharing talks that, he said, wasted 20 crucial days.

Adding to the discord, NCP (SP) MP Amol Kolhe remarked that Sena (UBT) and Congress had failed to coordinate effectively, leaving NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar as the only hope for the people.

With PTI inputs