Aaditya Thackeray, the leader of Shiv Sena (UBT), faced a setback when his trusted associate Rahul Kanal joined the Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Saturday.
Kanal, who was a member of the core committee of Aaditya Thackeray-led Yuva Sena, had been subjected to an Income Tax department raid last year.
In his new association with Shiv Sena, Kanal called for a thorough investigation into the Disha Salian death case.
He officially joined the party in the presence of Shinde, along with Shinde's son and Member of Parliament Shrikant Shinde, and several party MLAs.
Notably, Kanal'sjoined Sena on the same day when Aaditya Thackeray spearheaded a protest march against purported scams and corruption within the Mumbai civic body.
"Tomorrow if people say that I have joined you because of (actor) Sushant Singh Rajput or (his ex-manager) Disha Salian case....so I want to tell you with folded hands that please investigate it," Kanal said.
"If my name crops up then you can whip me with your shoes. There is a need for a detailed investigation and I can go anywhere for this," he added.
Kanal said, according to people, he got a lot from the party (Shiv Sena-UBT).
"Yes, it is 100 per cent right. But I have returned 1,000 per cent," he added.
Reacting to Kanal switching sides, Aaditya Thackeray, in a veiled barb at BJP, said those who want to jump into a "washing machine" can do that.
Notably, on June 13, Kanal wrote a birthday message for Aaditya Thackeray, saying, "It does not matter how many are against you. Those who are with you are wonderful".
The attention surrounding the death of Disha Salian resurfaced as Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis stated on Wednesday that the police were still in the process of recording statements and the case had not been closed.
Salian, who was 28 years old and had previously worked as the manager of the late actor Sushant Singh Rajput, allegedly took her own life by jumping from a tall building in the Malad area of Mumbai on June 8, 2020, just a few days prior to Rajput's alleged suicide.
Earlier on Friday, Kanal had told reporters, "I am going to join the Shinde group tomorrow and many workers will also join me. The Joining ceremony is at 12 noon tomorrow in the presence of CM Ekanth Shinde. Uddhav Thackeray takes decisions in his party at the behest of a few people and on their advice. There is also a thing called self-respect...tomorrow more than 1000 workers will join the Shinde group along with me."
Kanal was expelled from the Shiv Sena (UBT) on Friday.
On Friday, the mouthpiece of the organisation, "Saamna," published a news article announcing the dissolution of the Bandra (W) unit of the Yuva Sena, the party's youth wing. It was reported that Kanal was a member of the Bandra (W) unit.
Expressing his disappointment on Twitter, Kanal (36) stated, "Feeling sad! Very well know who has done this but removing people who have worked for you without a hearing is arrogance..." It appears that the reference was directed towards Aaditya Thackeray himself.
Sources indicate that several members of the Yuva Sena had complained to Aaditya about Kanal, accusing him of arrogance. Furthermore, in March of last year, Kanal's premises were raided by the Income Tax authorities.
Possible Reasons Of Rahul's Exit From Yuva Sena
Reportedly, Rahul Kanal left the Yuvasena executive's WhatsApp group a month ago. He also left the WhatsApp group of the Yuva Sena Core Committee. According to reports, Rahul was unhappy with the Yuva Sena for the past few days.
Many Other Prominent Faces Left Yuva Sena Recently
A report in ZEE 24 Taas stated that Rahul Kanal has left after getting tired of the internal differences. Amey Ghole, Siddhesh Kadam and Samadhan Saravankar also left the Yuva Sena recently expressing their displeasure.
Rahul Kanal is considered to be a very close confidant of Aditya Thackeray. During the reign of the MVA government, Kanal was also appointed as a trustee of the Shirdi Sai Baba Sansthan. He was preparing for assembly from Bandra West.
(With inputs from PTI)
