Uddhav Thackeray Pressured Sena (UBT) MPs To Oppose Waqf Bill, Alleges Sanjay Nirupam

Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Nirupam on Friday alleged that Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray pressured party MPs in the Lok Sabha to vote against the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025. According to Nirupam, Thackeray personally called his party's Lok Sabha members multiple times instructing them to oppose the bill.

"Uddhav Thackeray made five phone calls to his MPs in the Lok Sabha, directing them to vote against the Waqf (Amendment) Bill. The MPs were compelled to follow the party's whip," Nirupam stated, as reported by PTI.

He added that calls were made to seven Lok Sabha MPs from Shiv Sena (UBT), including Mumbai South MP Arvind Sawant and Mumbai South Central MP Anil Desai.

The claim from Nirupam came shortly after Uddhav Thackeray addressed a press conference on Thursday criticizing the BJP and alleging that the Waqf (Amendment) Bill was brought with "fraudulent intentions." Thackeray said the government was targeting Waqf properties while ignoring the lands held by temple trusts, churches, and gurudwaras. "You may also be eyeing temple lands. This bill was introduced for land. We opposed this sham," Thackeray said.

In response, BJP's Maharashtra unit chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule accused Thackeray of abandoning the ideology of Balasaheb Thackeray and acting in pursuit of electoral gains. He claimed that Thackeray opposed the bill to appeal to vote banks ahead of the Mumbai civic polls. "He has accepted the Congress ideology. His vote against the Waqf Amendment Bill was a major blunder. Many in his faction are now looking to leave, and in a year's time, Shiv Sena (UBT) may not remain," Bawankule said.

During the exchange of political statements, Nirupam also referred to Thackeray as the "Muslim Hridaysamrat" for his stance on the bill, drawing a contrast with Balasaheb Thackeray, who was popularly known as the "Hindu Hridaysamrat."

Following the dissent expressed by Shiv Sena (UBT) in the Lok Sabha, Shiv Sena leader Shrikant Shinde questioned whether the party still upheld the values of its founder. "Would they have taken the same stance if Balasaheb were alive today? Their ideology is clearly shifting. They had a chance to correct their path but chose otherwise," Shinde remarked.

The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, has since been passed in both Houses of Parliament following intense debate between government and opposition members.

With PTI inputs.