'To save regional pride and parties...' Uddhav Thackeray joins hands with Maratha outfit

The chief of the Shiv Sena, Uddhav Thackeray, announced an alliance with the Sambhaji Brigade, a prominent Maratha organisation, on Friday. He believes the alliance was ideological and formed to uphold the Constitution and regional pride.

The development occurred while the Thackeray-led Sena was still recovering from the fallout of Eknath Shinde's rebellion and subsequent loss of power in Maharashtra.

While at the press conference, Thackeray announced the new partnership. Also, Thackeray aimed at his former ally, the Bharatiya Janata Party, stating that 'some people' who believe that democracy means eliminating regional identity and regional parties are speaking and behaving erratically.

In 2004, the Sambhaji Brigade made national headlines when its activists were accused of ransacking the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute in Pune as part of a protest against an offensive passage in James Laine's biography of King Shivaji. However, the accused in the case were acquitted in 2017.

In response to a question about possible ideological dissonance in the alliance, Thackeray asked whether the BJP was working following the ideals of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.

Over the last two months, the former Chief Minister said he had been contacted by ideologically similar to the Sena and ideologically diametrically opposed parties. 

However, Thackeray believes these parties should work together to save regional pride and regional parties.

Speaking about the ongoing legal battle in the Supreme Court between his faction and the rebel Sena MLAs led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Thackeray said the outcome would settle whether the country would have democracy or autocracy.

He also added that he will be touring the state around Dussehra and is currently focusing on party organisation.

Sambhaji Brigade's chief, Manoj Akhare, stated that the organisation formed its political wing in 2016.

He added that the Shiv Sena and Sambhaji Brigade had formed a coordination committee to ensure the alliance's smooth operation.

While talking to the media in Nagpur about the alliance news, Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule said that no mainstream party is willing to work with Uddhav Thackeray. He is now allying with a party whose candidates couldn't even save their deposits in the last Assembly elections.

(With inputs from PTI)

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