Samajwadi Party Quits Maha Vikas Aghadi Over Babri Mosque Remark by Uddhav Thackeray’s Aide

Mumbai: The Samajwadi Party (SP) has announced its exit from the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance in Maharashtra, citing a controversial remark by Milind Narvekar, a close aide of Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray, regarding the demolition of the Babri Masjid.

On the 32nd anniversary of the Babri Masjid demolition, Narvekar shared a photo of the mosque alongside a quote by Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray that read, “I am proud of those who did this.” The post also featured images of Uddhav Thackeray, Aaditya Thackeray, and Narvekar himself.

Samajwadi Party state president Abu Asim Azmi criticized the remark, saying, “Samajwadi Party can never align with communal ideologies. Hence, we are separating from the MVA.” Azmi also expressed his disappointment with a newspaper advertisement by Shiv Sena (UBT) allegedly praising the demolition.

Azmi said he was consulting with SP president Akhilesh Yadav and added, “The MVA was formed to uphold secular values and protect the Constitution. If such communal remarks are made, what differentiates the MVA from the BJP? We cannot remain part of this alliance.”

The SP’s decision comes amid tensions within the MVA, as leaders from its other constituent parties—Congress, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), and Shiv Sena (UBT)—staged a walkout during the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly’s oath-taking ceremony. They accused the ruling Mahayuti alliance of manipulating Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) to secure its decisive victory in the recent elections.

MVA leaders, including Aaditya Thackeray, Nana Patole (Congress), and Jitendra Awhad (NCP), alleged that the Mahayuti’s win was “engineered” and demanded a return to ballot paper voting. “This is not the mandate of the public but the mandate of EVMs and the Election Commission of India,” Aaditya Thackeray said.

The Mahayuti alliance—comprising the BJP, Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena faction, and Ajit Pawar’s NCP faction—secured 230 out of 288 Assembly seats, leading to the swearing-in of Devendra Fadnavis as Chief Minister and Shinde and Pawar as Deputy Chief Ministers on December 5.

Rais Shaikh, another SP leader, said the Shiv Sena (UBT) must clarify its stance. “The alliance was built on the premise of sidelining radical ideologies. If such remarks are made, secular parties like ours will have to rethink their association,” he added.