Maharashtra: Uddhav Thackeray ‘sacks’ Ramdas Kadam, Aanand Rao Adsul from Shiv Sena

Ramdas was a cabinet minister in the Devendra Fadnavis-led government but was not given a ministerial berth during the chief ministership of Uddhav Thackeray. The party also denied him a ticket in the state legislative council polls last year.

On Monday, Ramdas wrote a letter to Uddhav claiming that he and his son were insulted by the party.

“Party chief Balasaheb Thackeray had appointed me as Shiv Sena leader. However, after his death, the post of the leader has no value. After you (Uddhav Thackeray) became the chief minister, you never took Shiv Sena leaders into confidence. On the contrary, my son MLA Yogesh Ramdas Kadam and I were insulted many times,” Ramdas said in the letter.

Ramdas also said Uddhav had asked him not to speak to the media before the 2019 Assembly polls.

Ramdas alleged that he had urged Uddhav repeatedly to not form an alliance with the NCP and the Congress as Bal Thackeray fought against the two parties during his lifetime.

“I told you Balasaheb Thackeray fought with the NCP and the Congress throughout his life to preserve Hinduism… But you did not listen to me at that time. Had Shiv Sena founder (Bal Thackeray) been alive, this situation would not have arisen. So I am resigning from the post of Shiv Sena leader,” Kadam said in the letter.

Adsul, who was a Sena MP from Amravati till 2019, had resigned from the post of Shiv Sena leader earlier this month.

He was a Union minister of state for finance in the AB Vajpayee government till 2004. He was also the chairperson of two corporations during the tenure of Manohar Joshi-led state government from 1995-99. In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, he lost to Independent candidate Navneet Rana in Amravati by 30,000 votes.