Shinde, Thackeray give contrasting messages on Shiv Sena's foundation day
20 Jun 2026

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray addressed the party's 60th foundation day with contrasting messages.

Shinde, who leads a rival faction of the Shiv Sena, sought to present his group as Bal Thackeray's true successors.

He said, "This is only a trailer. The movie is yet to come."

He likened his faction to a tiger while calling his opponents "dogs."

Shinde mocks Uddhav, defends breakaway faction
Loyalty questioned

Shinde also questioned why leaders were leaving Thackeray's camp, saying, "Some people keep saying, 'If anyone wants to leave, let them leave freely.' Look at them—they keep barking every day."

He quoted a famous line from the movie "Sholay" to mock his opponents.

Shinde also defended his 2022 decision to break away from Thackeray and align with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), arguing that his faction had grown stronger in the Maharashtra Assembly.

Thackeray warns against letting Shiv Sena fall into 'traitors' hands
Leadership offer

Meanwhile, Thackeray addressed his supporters with an emotional appeal, saying he was ready to resign if they didn't trust him anymore.

"I have only one firm resolve, only one insistence: this Shiv Sena, which is more precious than gold, must never be allowed to fall into the hands of thieves and traitors through the back door," he said.

Speculation of split in Thackeray camp
MP defection

Thackeray's appeal was a response to reports that six Shiv Sena (UBT) Lok Sabha MPs were preparing to defect.

The MPs, namely, Sanjay Dina Patil, Sanjay Deshmukh, Sanjay Jadhav, Bhausaheb Wakchaure, Nagesh Patil-Ashtikar, and Omprakash Raje Nimbalkar, skipped a parliamentary party meeting called by Thackeray on Thursday.

This further fueled speculation of a split in the party.