Aaditya Thackeray’s message for ‘those who want to return’ after losing grip over Sena

As the struggle for Shiv Sena continues between the Uddhav faction and the Shinde faction, Aaditya Thackeray said those who want to return, can come back.

Weeks after losing power in Maharashtra, Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray had a message for the rebel party leaders, saying “those who want to, can come back”.

Speaking to India Today, Aaditya Thackeray hit out at the party's rebel legislators, including Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, terming their government in Maharashtra ‘illegal and unconstitutional’.

This comes weeks after a political crisis erupted in Maharashtra, triggered by Eknath Shinde’s rebellion. Last month, Eknath Shinde was sworn in as the Maharashtra chief minister.

Afterwards, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray removed Eknath Shinde from all party posts for “indulging in anti-party activities”.

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The battle for the Shiv Sena continued with the Eknath Shinde-led faction passing a resolution electing Chief Minister Shinde as the leader of Shiv Sena. In the meeting, 14 MLAs, who extended their support to Uddhav Thackeray during Eknath Shinde's rebellion against the Sena leadership, also adopted resolutions for the appointment of executive members of the party.

Amid the ongoing tussle within the Uddhav Thackeray and Eknath Shinde faction, Aaditya Thackeray on Saturday said, “We are not in touch with them (rebel Sena leaders). We are only in touch with the people.”