Mumbai: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Friday said the party remains strong despite the splits it has suffered, and Aaditya Thackeray has the capability to lead it.
Speaking to PTI ahead of party chief Uddhav Thackeray's planned tour of the constituencies represented by the six party MPs who recently joined the Eknath Shinde-led Sena, Raut alleged they switched loyalties only for money, power and protection.
Asked about Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray's role in the party, Raut said, "The next generation should gradually take greater responsibility. For how many years can we continue to work? We have been working for 40 years. Young leaders must take command of the party, and he has been doing it. He (Aaditya) will do it officially too, he has the capability, and we will welcome him."
The leaders who left the Uddhav Thackeray-led party were not "rebels" in the real sense of the term, Raut said, arguing that the word should be reserved for freedom fighters like Bhagat Singh and Sukhdev, and not used for politicians who cross over for money and power.
Uddhav Thackeray's tour was part of an outreach to directly explain the party's position to voters and workers in the constituencies of the MPs who defected, Raut said.
The MPs "sold themselves for crores of rupees", he claimed, adding that the Sena cadre remains with Uddhav Thackeray.
When asked if the body language of the six MPs showed they were confident, Raut challenged them to face the public. "...we will see how confident they are after our tour. When you get Z-plus security after betrayal, your confidence increases," he said.
Asked why those who quit the Sena (UBT) always blame him for their decision, Raut said, "Because I am loyal to the party and Balasaheb Thackeray's ideology. They also tried to break me many times. I tried to stop the earlier defections, including Eknath Shinde's, by warning them that power is temporary, and they should not commit the sin of breaking Balasaheb's party."
Political splits are driven by the lure of money and fear of investigation agencies such as the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the Rajya Sabha member said.
"Just give us the ED and CBI for one hour, then we will show them," he said.
Asked about Mumbai North-East MP Sanjay Dina Patil, who was among the six lawmakers who joined the Shinde-led Sena and with whom he had a slanging match over the past few days, Raut said not a single party worker had joined Patil and the others in their defection.
Political parties break, but it has never happened in the past that a person who split a party seized its control, Raut said, apparently referring to Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde obtaining legal recognition for his faction as the real Shiv Sena.
Asked about his stand on the Uniform Civil Code, Raut said constitutional matters like this should be debated, and a government with a majority has the right to take a decision on them.
The BJP-led Maharashtra government told the legislative assembly earlier this week that it would form a committee to examine the implementation of the UCC in the state.