Thackeray questions PM Modi meeting MPs who left Uddhav Sena

Shiv Sena UBT chief Uddhav Thackeray expressed his disapproval on Saturday of Prime Minister Narendra Modi meeting MPs who had defected from Thackeray's party. Thackeray questioned whether this meeting of MPs and the Prime Minister was a tactic to apply pressure on the Supreme Court, which is currently considering the Shiv Sena's cases related to their symbol and defection.

He suggested that clippings of the meeting between Modi and the MPs would be provided to the Supreme Court and instructed MP Anil Desai to deliver them. Thackeray remarked that Modi had time for social media platforms like Instagram, while he faced criticism for using Facebook Live during the Covid pandemic. He also alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has faced more abuse compared to the Congress party over the past 65 years.

Thackeray expressed his trust in the constitution and the judiciary, stating that the MPs had gone to Modi for protection, likening Modi to a new Swami Samarth. He further criticized the six MPs who left Shiv Sena UBT to join the Sena, a part of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), asking if they were sending a message to the court with the implication that the Prime Minister supports them.

Thackeray questioned whether the meeting with Modi was a threat from the PM to the MPs. BJP spokesperson Navnath Ban accused Thackeray of meeting no one within the party, stating that Sanjay Raut was angry because Modi met the defected MPs. Ban claimed that Modi had repeatedly met opposition members and that Matoshree (Thackeray's residence) was off-limits to everyone, including MPs.

He urged Raut to demonstrate what he had achieved with the funds at his disposal. Ban concluded by stating that the courts would decide what they needed to, but emphasized that the BJP denied any pressure being exerted on the courts by Modi.