CM blames UBT for Thane clash

THANE: Chief minister Eknath Shinde has said the Shiv Sena UBT faction was apparently responsible for instigating the Saturday night incident where miscreants allegedly attacked Sena UBT leader Uddhav Thackeray’s convoy in Thane ahead of his scheduled party event in the city.
Nonetheless, Shinde denounced the attack where a few MNS activists allegedly hurled coconuts and dung on Uddhav's convoy and said such incidents will never be tolerated as it was never a tradition of Maharashtra's political legacy.
"The Saturday violence is a reaction to their (UBT) action... Their office bearers seem to have provoked the violence by allegedly creating mischief during the tour of MNS-chief Raj Thackeray in Beed on Friday… They have also been hurling accusations at me and castigating our govt for the last two years, but we are adhering to the principles of Balasaheb Thackeray and my mentor Anand Dighe and retorting to them with developmental work instead…," Shinde said while addressing the media in Thane.
Meanwhile, in a major jolt to the UBT faction in Thane, Anita Birje - the senior-most loyalist of Anand Dighe - shifted allegiances to Shinde at the Sena HQ at Tembhi Naka, Saturday evening, coincidentally at the same time when Thackeray was addressing his supporters, barely a kilometre away at Gadkari Rangayatan.
A firebrand leader, Birje, was instrumental in working with Dighe to help grow the party in Thane and the hinterland. She had remained with the Thackerays since the 2022 rebellion but later decided to switch loyalties aiming to focus more on social work over politics.
Meanwhile, Avinash Jadhav, Thane and Palghar MNS president, issued a warning to the UBT to refrain from attempting to criticise or target their leader Raj Thackeray.