Uddhav Thackeray announces Shiv Sena's alliance with Maratha outfit Sambhaji Brigade
Talking to reporters in Mumbai, Thackeray said the alliance with Sambhaji Brigade was ideological and forged to uphold the Constitution and also regional pride. He slammed the BJP for not adhering to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's (RSS) ideolog...

Thackeray said that the Sambhaji Brigade would have an alliance with the Sena for the upcoming local body polls and Maharashtra assembly polls.
Thackeray said Jogendra Kavade of the People’s Republican Party, a Dalit outfit, too had met him recently and explored the options of an alliance. “People who are not in sync with our ideology are meeting us and exploring ways to forge an alliance to save democracy and the Constitution,” Thackeray said.
Sambhaji Brigade has an ‘anti-Brahmin’ image and has attacked several historians, including the late Babasaheb Purandare, for ‘diluting’ Maratha history and ‘elevating’ the role of Brahmins. Brigade members vandalised the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute in 2004 and several historical manuscripts were destroyed.
The institute was attacked as historians like Purandare and others had helped author James Laine’s with his research for his book, Shivaji Hindu King in Islamic India. The Brigade in 2015 also opposed the BJP-Sena government move to bestow an award on Purandare.
The outfit has also faced allegations that it was ‘sponsored’ by the Nationalist Congress Party to ‘consolidate its Maratha vote base.’ The Shiv Sena, on the other hand, has defended Purandare. Referring to differences between the Sambhaji Brigade Thackeray said, “Instead of looking at the differences between the two parties, we are looking at similarities we have. We will form a coordination committee to make decisions.
The Economic Times Business News App for the Latest News in Business, Sensex, Stock Market Updates & More.
The Economic Times News App for Quarterly Results, Latest News in ITR, Business, Share Market, Live Sensex News & More.