Amid a deepening crisis within Shiv Sena (UBT), party chief Uddhav Thackeray on Friday said he was willing to step down from the top post if party workers no longer had confidence and faith in his leadership.
Addressing cadres on the party's Foundation Day, Thackeray said he was prepared to hand over the responsibility to any party worker if members felt he was unfit to lead, but made it clear that he would not allow the organisation to be taken over by those who had betrayed it.
"If the allegations made against me are something you truly believe, then tell me, and I am ready to step down from this position right now. I have only one condition, this Shiv Sena (UBT), which is as precious as gold, must not be handed over to thieves and looters," Thackeray said.
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Thackeray's remarks come days after six of the party's nine Lok Sabha MPs rebelled against the leadership and skipped a key parliamentary meeting, fuelling speculation that they could align with the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena.
The former Maharashtra chief minister apologised to voters for the exodus, saying the electorate had trusted the party but some elected representatives chose a different path.
Reaffirming his commitment to the party's ideology, Thackeray said Shiv Sena (UBT) would continue its fight despite attempts to weaken it.
He also rejected claims that the party was moving towards a merger with the Congress, arguing that even after decades of alliance with the BJP, Shiv Sena had never merged with its former ally.
Meanwhile, Eknath Shinde launched a sharp attack on Thackeray, accusing him of abandoning Balasaheb Thackeray's ideology by joining hands with Congress and the NCP.
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Calling the latest political developments "just a trailer," Shinde hinted at more setbacks for the Uddhav camp and asserted that his faction was the true inheritor of Balasaheb's vision. He also praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and underscored the unity of the ruling Mahayuti alliance.
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