Shiv Sena (UBT) Alleges Repeat of Maharashtra-style Defections in West Bengal

MUMBAI:
The Shiv Sena (UBT) on Wednesday said the ongoing political developments mark 12 years of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s tenure, terming it a period in which “turncoats and betrayers” are being recast as “rebels” instead of strengthening democratic norms.

In an editorial in its mouthpiece, Saamana, the Uddhav Thackeray-led faction alleged that constitutional institutions, including the Speaker, the Election Commission, and even the judiciary, are being used to facilitate political defections.

Drawing a parallel with Maharashtra, the editorial claimed that a similar situation is now unfolding in West Bengal after the recent Assembly elections. It said a significant faction of TMC lawmakers has broken away to ally with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), sparking fierce criticism over political morality and the alleged misuse of central machinery. The script unfolding in West Bengal is identical to previous political turnarounds, with only the names of the characters changing, it alleged.

“The ‘washing machine’ of Maharashtra was lifted and brought to West Bengal, and all the corrupt Trinamool members were thrown into it. Barely a month has passed since the assembly election results, and already the entire Trinamool Congress is seemingly being merged into the BJP,” said the editorial.

Accusing the BJP of political opportunism, it remarked that during the election campaign, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah had vehemently labeled the TMC government as corrupt, anti-Hindu, and a protector of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants, promising to wipe out these elements upon coming to power.

However, following the election, the Thackeray camp claimed that the BJP has readily inducted the very same “corrupt” and “Bangladeshi-supporting” TMC leaders into its fold. “Terror, threats, money, and investigative agencies were weaponized to break the Trinamool Congress. Local Trinamool leaders are being attacked and publicly humiliated. What kind of way is this to treat opponents? Prime Minister Modi must answer this. If we are to believe the claim of Modi, Shah, and Suvendu Adhikari that the public expressed outrage against Mamata’s corrupt governance, then why is this trinity moving around after smearing the dung of that very corruption onto their own bodies?” asked the Thackeray camp.

Assessing the situation, the editorial noted, “The BJP’s politics values nothing but power and chairs. They have nothing to do with fighting corruption; money acquired through corrupt means has become their deity. Once the corrupt join the BJP along with their assets, all investigations against them disappear.”

The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena said that while the Trinamool Congress built through decades of struggle is being handed over to defectors on a silver platter, the exit of opportunistic leaders presents an opportunity for the nation to rebuild itself with fresh, self-respecting leadership.

“Modi’s penance has turned the country’s betrayers into ‘rebels’. What an astonishing feat! However, the nation will rise once again from this collapse. Mamata Banerjee should not grovel before these treacherous people. Let those who want to leave, leave. A new dawn of self-respect and patriotism will blossom in the country,” it added.