Yuva Shiv Sena worker slams Aaditya, ‘coterie’ on Facebook

Mumbai: A disgruntled Yuva Sena worker has lashed out against the Shiv Sena youth wing’s chief Aaditya Thackeray in a lengthy Facebook post that has received many likes and has been shared by Sena workers who were once close to Mr Thackeray.

Amar Pawle, a core committee member of Yuva Brigade, a Yuva Sena unit, on January 2 posted the message, which slams Mr Thackeray for ignoring sainiks and talking about issues that the Sena aren’t known to take up.

“Ask them to meet a needy sportsman and they have no time. They have all the time to inaugurate the gym of a flop actor and also make ‘Sultan Bhaijan’ (actor Salman Khan), who has run over people when drunk, a brand ambassador,” read the message.

The FB post uploaded by former Sena worker Amar Pawle

Party leaders have claim Mr Pawle is upset because he was ousted from the party, as he was allegedly involved in anti-party incidents, what with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Council elections drawing closer. However, some people who have been working closely with Mr Thackeray have claimed that Mr Pawle isn’t completely wrong. “The party has changed. A coterie of outsiders from within the party is calling the shots.

The real people have been sidelined. Those who have been associated with the party (Yuva Sena) since it’s inception, are no longer being considered,” said another disgruntled Yuva Sena worker, who happens to be an active member of the outfit.

Referring to the people presently surrounding Mr Thackeray as the lollypop gang in the post, Mr Pawle wrote, “Our Sena style (the party’s infamous strong-arm tactics) makes them awkward now, and hence we are being asked to follow the ‘all is well’ method (a reference to the catchphrase of the 2009 film 3 Idiots).”

The post, which also slammed Thackeray’s efforts to reinvigorate Mumbai’s night life, alleged that party workers were asked to stage a protest only because one of Mr Thackeray’s friend was charged green tax near Bushi Dam.

However, the party has dismissed Mr Pawle’s claims and said he had been expelled for extortion. “We had some 40 people in the Yuva Brigade, and he was one of them, He was expelled because of anti-party activities and alleged extortion, which even Aaditya saheb knows about and, hence, he was removed. Now with elections drawing nearer he is speaking all of this on Facebook, and our opponents are using this for political benefits,” said Samadhan Sarvankar, president of Yuva Brigade and a close aide of Mr Thackeray.

Meanwhile, Mr Pawle said. “Aaditya Thackeray is now surrounded with page 3 personalities those aren’t Shiv Sainiks and people like me who grew as Sainiks were being allowed to work. I wrote the post on January 2, and now they claim that I was expelled ling back. I joined BJP and am not interested in electoral politics.”