Jobaaj Stories
Samajwadi Party MLA Abu Azmi announced on Saturday that his party will withdraw from Maharashtra’s Opposition alliance, Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). The decision comes after Azmi accused Shiv Sena (UBT) of embracing a "Hindutva agenda" following their defeat in the Maharashtra assembly elections. This prompted the Samajwadi Party to reconsider its association with the coalition.
Azmi’s comments followed a controversy involving Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray’s close aide, Milind Narvekar, who allegedly praised the demolition of the Babri mosque in a recent post.
“We cannot tolerate this,” said Azmi, who is also the Samajwadi Party chief in Maharashtra. He explained that the party had already faced issues with coordination during seat-sharing and campaigning within the MVA. After their defeat in the assembly elections, Uddhav Thackeray reportedly instructed party members to aggressively pursue a Hindutva agenda. Azmi pointed to a social media post by Shiv Sena (UBT) on December 6, which expressed support for the Babri mosque demolition, as a tipping point.
“There was no co-ordination in the MVA during seat sharing and later in the campaign too. After the defeat in assembly polls, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, in an internal meeting, told his leaders and party workers to aggressively pursue the Hindutva agenda. On December 6, the party posted a message on social media in favour of Babri mosque demolition. We cannot tolerate this. So, we have decided not to continue with MVA,” Azmi told HT.
He also pointed to an advertisement placed by Shiv Sena (UBT) in a newspaper that congratulated those responsible for demolishing the Babri mosque. “An advertisement was given by Shiv Sena (UBT) in a newspaper congratulating those who demolished Babri masjid. His (Uddhav Thackeray) aide has also posted on X hailing the demolition of the mosque,” Azmi told PTI.
Azmi confirmed the Samajwadi Party’s decision to quit the MVA and added that he was in talks with party president Akhilesh Yadav over the matter.
Milind Narvekar, an MLC from Shiv Sena (UBT), had posted a photo of the Babri mosque demolition along with a quote from Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray: "I am proud of those who did this." Narvekar also shared images of Uddhav Thackeray, Aaditya Thackeray, and himself in the post.
Azmi questioned the alliance’s future in the MVA, saying, “If anyone in the MVA speaks such language, what is the difference between the BJP and them? Why should we stay with them?”
