Rebel Shiv Sena MLA Deepak Kesarkar on Saturday said the legislators who are camping in Guwahati's Radisson Blu Hotel haven't left the party and party founder Balasaheb Thackeray's ideology.
"We are still in Shiv Sena, there's misunderstanding that we've left the party. We've just separated our faction. We've 2-3rd majority to follow the path we wanted. Our new leader chosen by majority. They didn't have more than 16-17 MLAs," the rebel MLA said. "There's no need to merge, our faction will be given different recognition and we aren't merging with any other party," he added.
Reacting to the disqualification notices served to 16 rebel MLAs for abstaining from a party meeting, Kesarkar said they will reply to the notices.
The rebel MLAs led by Eknath Shinde, meanwhile, have named their group 'Shiv Sena Balasaheb' amid the ongoing tussle with the Uddhav Thackeray faction.
Meanwhile, the Maharashtra Chief Minister said that the rebel faction can take their own decisions but no one should use Balasaheb Thackeray's name.
Addressing party leaders during the national executive committee meeting in the Shiv Sena Bhawan, Thackeray said, "Some people are asking me to say something but I've already said that they(rebel MLAs) can do whatever they want to do, I won't interfere in their matters. They can take their own decision, but no one should use Balasaheb Thackeray's name."
Earlier today, Shinde today wrote to Thackeray over the alleged 'malicious' withdrawal of security of family members of the 38 MLAs camping with him in a Guwahati hotel.
In his letter to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and State Home Minister Dilip Walse Patil, Shinde claimed that the security provided to the MLAs at their residence as well as to their family members as per the protocol has been illegally and unlawfully withdrawn, as an act of revenge.
However, Home Minister Dilip Walse Patil refuted Shinde's claim of withdrawal of security."Neither the Chief Minister nor the Home Department has ordered the withdrawal of security of any MLA. The allegations being levelled through Twitter are false and completely baseless.No MLA's security has been withdrawn. Keeping in view the prevailing situation, the Home Department has decided to provide security at the residence of MLAs to keep their families safe," said Patil.
