Babri Masjid Remark Triggers Rift: Samajwadi Party Quits Maha Vikas Aghadi Alliance

In Maharashtra, a major blow was dealt to the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance by the Samajwadi Party's exit. The reason behind the decision is believed to be due to the highly controversial social media post from Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Milind Narvekar, a close aide of Uddhav Thackeray. He praised the demolition of the Babri Masjid. The post also carried a quote from Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray, saying, "I am proud of those who did this," along with photos of Uddhav and Aaditya Thackeray.

SP Cites Inflammatory Remarks as Reason for Exit

Maharashtra SP chief Abu Azmi condemned the post, accusing Shiv Sena (UBT) of talking in the same language used by BJP. Azmi says that the comments in glorifying the Babri Masjid demolition forced the SP with two seats in the Maharashtra assembly to abandon the alliance. He further bashes Shiv Sena (UBT) for shifting to a Hindutva-inclined narrative post election debacle.

Alliance Breaks Post Election Disaster

The split has occurred just weeks after the poor performance of the MVA in the Maharashtra elections, when the alliance could win only 46 seats, out of which two were SP winners. Officially, the SP has declared its exit. The Shiv Sena (UBT) has not made any statement on the issue so far.

Shift towards Hindutva

After the electoral defeat, Uddhav Thackeray's party has raised its voice more on the issues of Hindutva. It has referred to the Babri Masjid demolition as a historical moment. It claims that Bal Thackeray had played an important role in the incident and it regarded it as a landmark in its ideological journey. The SP, which is led by Azmi in Maharashtra, represents a constituency with a large population of Muslims. This creates a deepening of the ideological gap between the two parties.