On Sunday, Aaditya visited Shiv Sena shakhas in Borivali, Dahisar and Magathane and interacted with the workers. (Express File Photo)Former Maharashtra minister and Shiv Sena’s youth wing (Yuva Sena) president Aaditya Thackeray on Sunday said that the doors of Matoshree are open for legislators who wish to return, stressing that the grassroot workers were still with the party “despite betrayal by the rebel MLAs on whom the party trusted”.
Matoshree is the private residence of the Thackeray family.
To reach out to the party cadre at the grassroot level, Aaditya began a Nishtha (loyalty) Yatra on Friday as part of which he will visit all shakhas of the Sena across Mumbai.
On Sunday, Aaditya visited Shiv Sena shakhas in Borivali, Dahisar and Magathane and interacted with the workers.
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While addressing party workers in Dahisar, Aaditya said the rebel legislators took advantage of former CM and Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray’s illness and betrayed the party for their own “monstrous ambitions”.
He said, “These people (rebel MLAs) showed that good people have no place in politics. But I want to show that even good people have a place in politics. Even as these people have betrayed us, the grassroot of the party is still with us and in each constituency, we have two to three formidable Shiv Sainiks…men and women who are ready to take on political rivals at the hustings,” the first-time MLA said.
While expressing disappointment that those whom he “blindly trusted, gave love and everything they wanted” stabbed him in the back, he said, “I challenge the rebel MLAs to have a little shame, resign and face fresh elections. Also, the door of Matoshree is open for those who have been kidnapped, those who have been deceived.”
Aaditya said that history has borne witness to the fact that “those who betrayed the Shiv Sena in the past could not do anything in the future”.
Last month, Eknath Shinde and several other MLAs of the Sena had rebelled against the party, demanding a patch-up with its former ally, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and snapping of ties with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Congress.
The rebellion had led to collapse of Uddhav Thackeray-led MVA (Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi) government; Shinde was sworn in as the CM with the help of the BJP while Devendra Fadnavis became the deputy CM.
Shiv Sena insiders said that Aaditya will participate in rallies at 236 shakhas, including those situated in the constituencies of the rebel MLAs.
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