A war of words broke out between the the Opposition Shiv Sena (UBT) and the ruling Shiv Sena over Uddhav Thackeray-led original Sena’s plan to appeal to the United Nations Organization (UNO) that June 20 be declared as “World Traitors Day’ to commemorate the “treachery” committed on it by Eknath Shinde and 40-odd MLAs who rebelled against Uddhav’s leadership and toppled the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in June last year.
On a day when both the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the ruling Shiv Sena and celebrated their respective foundation day functions, at Shanmukhananda Hall at Sion in north-central Mumbai and NESCO entre at Goregaon in north Mumbai, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena rooted for declaration of June 20 be declared as “World Traitors Day”.
Talking to media persons here, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP and Chief Spokesperson Sanjay Raut said that his party would collect signatures of lakhs of people from across Maharashtra and send them to the UNO with a demand to make the declaration for June 20 as ‘World Traitors Day’ soon. “There are hundreds of instances of treason in the world and the people of Maharashtra have also witnessed one in June 2022 which led to the collapse of the the Uddhav Thackeray-led MVA government.
Raut said that if and when June 20 is declared as “World Traitors Day”, there will be international focus on the traitors worldwide, with the beginning made in Maharashtra.
“When our party comes to power in the state, we will make a beginning — June 19 shall be celebrated as ‘World Loyalists Day’ and June 20 as the ‘traitors’ day… We shall make a bonfire of all these ‘gaddars’ (traitors) as it is done for the demon King Ravana,” Raut said..
Alluding Sena MLC Dr. Manisha Kayande’s decision to the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena on the 57th anniversary of the Uddhave Thackeray-led Sena, Raut said: “I don’t know where she has come from or where she has gone… But the ‘garbage’ is going out of the party… When the wind blows, all the ‘kachra’ (rubbish) gets carried out,” said an unfazed Raut.
Raut accused the rival Eknath-led Shiv Sena claiming to be the original party founded by the late Balasaheb Thackeray “ but the fact remains Eknath Shinde-led Sena does does even remember the date and year of founding of the party”.
Retaliating against the accusations made by the Uddhav Thackeray, the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena leaders like Uday Samant, Sanjay Shirsat and Ramdas Kadam came down heavily on Raut and Sena (UBT) leaders, dubbing them as ‘the real ‘gaddars’ or traitors to the cause of Hindutva and the ideals of the late Balasaheb Thackeray”.