Shiv Sena’s Shrikant Shinde Backs Bill, Criticizes UBT for ‘Abandoning Ideology’

By A Staff Reporter

Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde on Tuesday voiced strong support for the Bill introduced in Parliament, calling it a historic step in a series of legislative reforms, including the abrogation of Article 370, the Triple Talaq ban, and the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

"On behalf of Shiv Sena and my leader Eknath Shinde, I completely support this Bill. This is a historic and important day… First Article 370, then Triple Talaq and CAA, and now this Bill has been brought to this House for the welfare of the poor," Shinde stated.

He also took a sharp dig at the Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray (UBT) faction, particularly MP Arvind Sawant’s remarks against the Bill. Expressing disappointment, he said, "I was pained upon hearing his speech. It was very shocking. I would like to ask UBT a question—would they have spoken the same way if Balasaheb Thackeray were alive today?"

Shinde further accused UBT of straying from its ideological roots, stating that they had a chance to "rectify their mistakes, rewrite their history, and keep their ideology alive," but instead chose to oppose the Bill. He asserted that "UBT bulldozed their ideology beforehand… Had Balasaheb been here today and read UBT's dissent note, he would have been pained."