Amid speculation of an alliance between Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena (UBT) and Raj Thackeray’s MNS, farm activist Kishore Tiwari resigned from the party. Tiwari alleged that the MNS is against Hindi-speaking, Muslim, and minority communities that form the backbone of the Opposition bloc
Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray. Filepic
Amid the heightened political tensions and possible collaboration between MNS and Shiv Sena (UBT), farm activist Kishore Tiwari has resigned from the Shiv Sena (UBT), citing his opposition to a potential alliance between Uddhav Thackeray's party and the Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS).
Tiwari, while resigning from Shiv Sena (UBT) in a release on Monday, said that "MNS was allegedly against Hindi-speaking people, other linguistic minorities and Muslim citizens who, he claimed, are the 'main backbone of the Maha Vikas Aghadi and the Opposition India bloc'," as cited by news agency PTI.
Kishore Tiwari further said that he resigned from the primary membership of the Shiv Sena (UBT) on Sunday.
He also claimed that, “In the 2024 Maharashtra assembly elections, the Sena (UBT) won 20 seats, and in 10 of them, its victory was possible only because a substantial number of Hindi-speaking, Muslim, Dalit and OBC people voted for it,” as per news agency PTI.
Former Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Kishore Tiwari, who was removed as the Sena (UBT) spokesperson in February this year, said that he had earlier urged in an open letter to Uddhav Thackeray not to ally with his cousin Raj Thackeray, alleging the MNS chief was running an agenda against non-Marathi people and Muslims in Maharashtra.
The farmer leader further said that his request was ignored, and hence, he has now decided to quit the party. Tiwari also emphasised that, "Now, for protecting linguistic provincialism and for the harmony and national interest, I am parting ways with the Shiv Sena (UBT)," as cited by news agency PTI.
A few years back, Tiwari was appointed by the state government as the head of a task force to suggest ways to prevent farmer suicides and to bring about agricultural reforms, but was later removed from the post.
Earlier on Saturday, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, MNS president Raj Thackeray, and other MVA leaders united to challenge voter list errors in court.
As per the reports, the Opposition is set to move court against voter list anomalies, as Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray alleged that around 4,500 bogus votes were cast in the Malabar Hill assembly constituency by people registered in areas of Kalyan Rural, Bhiwandi and Murbad.
Leaders from the Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress, Sharad Pawar’s NCP, and the MNS held a protest rally in Mumbai on Saturday. The rally was organised to protest against large-scale irregularities in the voters’ list.
(With inputs from PTI)
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