Shiv Sena UBT Mercedes for posts deal row – Show proof of Mercedes-for-posts deal: Uddhav Thackeray on Neelam Gorhe’s claim

Neelam Gorhe, a Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena leader and deputy chairperson of the Maharashtra Legislative Council, has triggered row with her remarks about the allocation of party positions in the Shiv Sena led by Uddhav Thackeray.

Speaking at the All India Marathi Literary Festival in Delhi on Saturday, Gorhe said, “It is a fact that if you give two Mercedes cars in Thackeray’s Shiv Sena, you get a post.” She also said that Thackeray was reluctant to meet party leaders and did not treat functionaries well.

Shiv Sena (UBT) rejected the claim, saying Gorhe had been made a member of the legislative council four times despite opposition from the party’s women’s wing. Uddhav Thackeray said, “Show me where those cars are. These individuals are politically irrelevant to me, and I do not wish to comment further. Those who travel in Mercedes should answer why they have not given the monthly instalments of the Ladki Bahin scheme.”

BJP leader and minister Girish Mahajan supported Gorhe’s statement. “Gorhe has been closely working in Sena for 30-35 years, so what she is saying could be the truth,” he said.

Aaditya Thackeray, Uddhav Thackeray’s son and a MLA from Worli, dismissed Gorhe’s remarks. “It only reflects on their mentality and their upbringing. They’ve always operated like leeches. I’m amused by their pettiness,” he said.

Ambadas Danve, leader of the opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Council, criticised Gorhe. “My party has never asked me for a single rupee. I rose from being an ordinary worker in the rural areas to leader of opposition in the council. If what Gorhe said was true, then there would have been a line of Mercedes vehicles at Matoshree,” he said, referring to the Thackeray family residence.

Sanjay Raut, a Shiv Sena (UBT) member of Parliament, questioned the organisers of the literary festival over Gorhe’s comments. In a letter to Usha Tambe, chairperson of the Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Mahamandal, Raut said, “It appears that the event was held under political pressure. The platform of the Sahitya Mahamandal was grossly misused.”

Gorhe later clarified her remarks. “What I have stated is my own experience and observations I have made about some people, who were asked to give something in return for posts in the party,” she said.

Gorhe joined the Eknath Shinde faction of the Shiv Sena after the party split in June 2022 following Shinde’s rebellion.