Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee President Harshvardhan Sapkal on Wednesday said the rebellion by six MPs from the Shiv Sena (UBT) faction is not merely a betrayal of Uddhav Thackeray and his party, but also a betrayal of the Congress-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA).
“The people elected them by voting against the Mahayuti alliance, and this act amounts to a breach of the public's trust. Such traitors will ultimately be taught a lesson by the people themselves,” he warned.
Sapkal said the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, workers of the Congress, Nationalist Congress Party, and Shiv Sena campaigned for these candidates, disregarding threats and refusing to succumb to any inducements. “The people placed their faith in them. This rebellion is an insult to all those workers and voters, and these six MPs have betrayed each one of them. These individuals, who have become subservient to money, can never truly serve the people. Their only concern is wealth. Those who can be bought with money ultimately belong to no one,” he said.
The Maharashtra Congress chief further alleged that the BJP has been trampling upon democratic and constitutional values and has adopted an autocratic style of governance based on the principle of “whatever we do becomes the law.” According to him, the BJP’s sole objective is power, and over the past few years elections have been reduced to a game of “Paisa Phek, Tamasha Dekh (Throw money and watch the show).”
“If they fail to win an election, they attempt to buy victorious candidates with money; if that does not work, they use the Election Commission to get nominations cancelled. Such a distorted system is now in operation. These developments pose a serious threat to democracy,” he said.
Sapkal further remarked that the most unfortunate aspect is that justice is not available in any institution—whether in the legislature, Parliament, or the courts. “The BJP has captured all institutions, and governance is being run through fear and intimidation,” the Congress state president alleged.
