The struggle for supremacy over the hearts and minds of the Shiv Sena cadre was played out in earnest during the rival Dussehra rallies of CM Eknath Shinde and former CM Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday, with Mr. Shinde accusing Mr. Thackeray of forsaking his father, Bal Thackeray’s Hindutva and prostrating himself before the Congress.
Mr. Thackeray, in turn, cornered Mr. Shinde and his tripartite government (Shinde-led Sena, the BJP and the Ajit Pawar-led NCP faction) over the Maratha reservation issue, likening the police lathi-charge on Maratha quota agitators in Jalna in August to General Dyer’s order to shoot into the crowd at Jallianwala Bagh.
Addressing a packed gathering at Mumbai’s Azad Maidan, Mr. Shinde reiterated his government’s commitment to provide the Maratha community with a foolproof quota that would hold water.
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