After losing the party’s name and symbol, Uddhav Thackeray may now have to fight a battle to protect Shiv Sena’s properties and funds.
Legal and financial consultations are going to start soon in Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s camp to clamp down on Thackeray. Although Thackeray has said that the Election The Commission (EC) does not have the right to decide on the party’s assets and funds, a long battle is likely to happen soon.
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“We are not interested in funds and properties. We are the successors of Balasaheb Thackeray’s ideology, Shinde told reporters.
But top sources in his party confirmed to CNN-News18 that a strategy would soon be in the pipeline for him to stake claim. “The idea is to preserve the money and properties of the party. We don’t want to usurp them, said a top leader on condition of anonymity.
Notice on Shiv Sena Bhawan
A private lawyer has already issued a notice to the Charity Commissioner to inquire about Shiv Sena Bhavan owned by Shivai Trust. Sena Bhawan is the headquarters of the Shiv Sena, which has now been the center of all political activities of the Uddhav Thackeray group.
“It is not about the properties owned by Shivai Trust. There are four different trusts. There are trade unions and then there are funds. We don’t know the value of those funds right now. It is being speculated that there is around Rs 200 crore in the party fund. But we cannot say whether it is true,” said a top leader.
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Consultation with lawyers and chartered accountants with regard to properties owned by the trusts will begin soon.
“Technically, you cannot use properties registered under the Charity Commissioner for political purposes. These are meant to be used for social service purposes. So the use of these properties can be questioned,” said a leader. Said on condition of anonymity.
There is no point in claiming everything at once. If they get a stay on this, the effort will go in vain,” said another leader.
Branch: Nerve Center
The shakha or party offices are the nerve centers of the Shiv Sena’s organizational structure. He has played a key role in grassroots mobilization for decades since Shiv Sena came into existence. The days of the party have been flourishing because of the shakha pramukhs. Just like Sena Bhawan, shakhas hold an emotional appeal for Shiv Sainiks.
But in this ugly war of power, the shakhas may also have to bear the brunt of factionalism.
“When it comes to branch, the matter gets a bit complicated. It is not under the same ownership. In Mumbai alone, there are more than 200 branches and they have different ownership. A leader of the Eknath Shinde faction said, “We will have to look at each case individually and then decide on a strategy.”
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While there is some clarity with regard to assets, there does not appear to be much clarity with regard to party funds at present. “Some say, there is Rs 200 crore in the party fund. We don’t know. This is something we haven’t explored yet. In the next few days, there should be some details about that too – assets as well as liabilities,” said a top leader.
But the Eknath Shinde faction has refused to say anything on record. When contacted, Kiran Pawaskar said that checking assets is not the priority of the party. “It is not important. It has not been discussed,” said Ashish Kulkarni.
‘How will you steal the support of the people?’
“You have taken the party, you have taken the symbol. You have taken office. You will take property, money, office and branch. But how will you steal Balasaheb Thackeray? How do you steal the credit for saving lives in the time of Covid from Uddhav Thackeray? How do you steal votes during elections? Due to this shameless and illegal step of the Election Commission, there is a huge sympathy wave for Uddhav Thackeray. People have a soft corner for him. How will you steal it,” asked Harshal Pradhan, media in-charge and a close confidante of Uddhav Thackeray.
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