'Will not let Shiv Sena become Congress': Banner inscribed with Balasaheb Thackeray's old remark put up alongside INDIA’s

Mumbai (Maharashtra): A banner inscribed with an old statement from Shiv Sena founder late Balasaheb Thackeray has taken a dig at the third meeting of the Opposition INDIA, which is scheduled to take place here. 63 representatives from 28 Opposition parties will take part in the meeting to be held at the Hotel Grand Hyatt in suburban Vakola. The meeting, which is being hosted by Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), will begin with a dinner hosted by Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray.

The banner has been put up parallel to one of the Opposition INDIA bloc on the Western Express Highway in suburban Santacruz. The banner quoted a statement by the Sena founder Bal Thackeray in Marathi saying, "I will not let Shiv Sena become the Congress".

The banner is being seen as a sly dig at the rival Sena faction, led by Uddhav Thackeray, over its alliance with the Congress under the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), the previous ruling alliance in Maharashtra. The two parties along with the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) are part of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc.

For several years, an undivided Shiv Sena was in alliance with the BJP and the two parties were in power in Maharashtra from 1995-1999 and 2014-2019 with Manohar Joshi, Narayan Rane and Devendra Fadnavis as Chief Ministers respectively. When the undivided Shiv Sena was in alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party, Shiv Sena founder late Balasaheb Thackeray often attacked the Congress and the NCP.

The BJP, which is in power in Maharashtra, along with the Eknath Shinde-led faction of the Shiv Sena had attacked the undivided Sena under Uddhav Thackeray for allying with the Congress under the MVA, accusing them of abandoning the ideas and principles of the party's founder leader.

The leaders of the Opposition INDIA alliance will hold an informal meeting on Thursday and follow it up with a meeting on Friday. The two-day huddle will see the INDIA partners pick up from where they left off in their last meeting at Bengaluru and carry forward the process of laying a broader roadmap against the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) at the Centre.

RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee, and National Congress president Farooq Abdullah among other leaders have already arrived in the megacity for the crucial meeting. The meeting will also be attended by Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, NCP chief Sharad Pawar, his daughter Supriya Sule, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders Aaditya Thackeray, Sanjay Raut, Congress leaders Ashok Chavan, Nana Patole among others.

While the discussion among the partner leaders in the bloc would centre on the battle plan for the next general elections and a seat-sharing formula, the alliance is also likely to unveil its logo during the two-day meeting. The INDIA alliance has decided to fight the 2024 Lok Sabha polls unitedly against the Narendra Modi-led regime. It is also likely that Kharge, who is also the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, could be made the Chairperson of the INDIA alliance.