Reiterating the reasons behind splitting the Sena, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde asked the rival Shiv Sena faction leader Uddhav Thackeray to introspect why so many leaders have quit the party over the years. Addressing his faction’s Dussehra rally at BKC, he said the former CM has betrayed his father’s ideology for the sake of power and that the Sena was not a family-controlled company, but an organisation that Sainiks like him have built by spilling their sweat and blood.

Shinde came down heavily on Uddhav at his faction’s rally on Wednesday. Before branding him and his cult betrayers, he said, Uddhav should tender an apology to his father Bal Thackeray and then criticise the rebels.