"We will fight legal battle...": Sanjay Raut over Mumbra Shakha controversy

File Photo/PTI

In the midst of a conflict between the factions of Shiv Sena led by Uddhav Thackeray and Maharashtra chief minister Ekanth Shinde over the alleged demolition of a 25-year-old Shakha (branch) of the UBT Sena in Mumbra by the Shinde faction, Member of Parliament Sanjay Raut said that a legal battle would be waged for the Mumbra Shakha of Shiv Sena.

Raut criticized Eknath Shinde and the 40 people who joined him, asserting that they are not the real Shiv Sena. He claimed that the genuine Shiv Sena was represented by the supporters in Mumbra who took to the streets when Uddhav Thackeray arrived. Raut accused the police of acting as Shinde's servants, and he warned that a legal battle would be pursued for the Mumbra Shakha with all the necessary documents.

The controversy escalated when bulldozers were reportedly used on the Mumbra Shakha, leading Uddhav Thackeray to express his disapproval and visit the location with his supporters on Saturday.

In response, Eknath Shinde, while addressing a gathering in Thane, took a dig at Uddhav Thackeray, stating, "Some people came to Mumbra today...but they had to take a U-turn return..."

Since the split of the Shiv Sena and the merger of the Shinde faction with the Bharatiya Janata Party, there has been a continuous war of words between the two parties.

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Meanwhile in another attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party, Raut said that the saffron party's idea is to break the country on the basis of religion. "Bharatiya Janata Party's aim is always to take advantage of any fight between two people. Bharatiya Janata Party's idea is to break the country on the basis of caste and religion. Are Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar propagators of Bharatiya Janata Party's ideas in Maharashtra? This is the idea of the Bharatiya Janata Party to make its businessmen friends rich and make the poor poorer. Bharatiya Janata Party is afraid. Wherever they are losing in 2024, they are conducting raids there, he said. (With inputs from agencies)