Message to Centre: In a stern message to the government, Shiv Sena (UBT) on Monday said that the ‘Wagner group’ in India, referring to the Opposition, will ‘dislodge’ the Narendra Modi government at the Centre in 2024 ‘through ballot box’ using non-violence.
In a dramatic development last week in Russia, Wagner mercenary group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin called for an armed rebellion and claimed that his forces had military facilities under their control in Russia's southern city of Rostov-on-Don. It had also started its march towards Moscow.
Russian President Vladimir Putin dubbed the rebellion an act of treason. Later, the Wagner mercenary group chief said that he has ordered his mercenaries to halt their march on Moscow and retreat to their field camps in Ukraine to avoid shedding Russian blood.
Comparison of Opposition with Wagner group
Shiv Sena (UBT) mouthpiece ‘Saamna’ likened the Wagner mercenary group's "revolt against Russian President Putin" and the joint opposition meeting in Patna last week which aimed at bringing together parties on a single stage against the BJP government ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Uddhav Thackeray was one of the participants of the meeting.
The meeting was held at Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s residence in Patna. A Saamna editorial said that the Wagner group has shown dictatorship can be challenged.
“Be it Modi or Putin, they have to face rebellion. The government in India will be dislodged by a non-violent Wagner and that route will be through the ballot box. Like Putin, Modi has to go, but in a democratic manner,” it claimed.
It further said that the ‘Wagner group’ (Opposition parties) came together in Patna ‘as a protector of democracy’.
‘...Will be Manipur-like situation in the country’
The editorial said that if there will be Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) ‘scam’ in the country, then there will be a Manipur-like situation in the country. “...such is the anger among people against the government,” it claimed, adding that the EVMs will not decide the results in 2024, but the people will.
Nearly 120 people have lost their lives and more than 3,000 injured since the ethnic violence erupted in Manipur on May 3. A large number of houses were burnt leaving numerous people homeless in the violence between Meitei and Kuki communities.
The editorial also claimed the BJP has kept people such as Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's group, as its "protector", and tomorrow the same people will "stab" them.
Eknath Shinde led a revolt against Uddhav in June last year, leading to a split in Shiv Sena and the collapse of the Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government. Later, Shinde became the CM with the BJP's support.
(With PTI inputs)
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