Raj Thackeray says MNS corporators who defected to Shiv Sena were paid Rs 30 cr

In a sensational claim, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) president Raj Thackeray said the six MNS corporators who defected to Shiv Sena last week, were paid Rs 5 crore each.

Shiv Sena, that benefits from MNS defections, has already refuted similar allegations made by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The BJP, with 83 members in BMC, was hoping to soon upstage Sena which had 84 councillors before six MNS corporators joined. This ensures Sena retains control on the BMC that has an annual budget of Rs 37,000 crore.

Raj said Uddhav had indulged in low and dirty politics by alluring his six corporators. "If he had asked the help of my corporators, I would have happily given the support. In the past, too, I have always helped them directly and indirectly. But this incident of buying out my corporators has not gone well with me. I will never forget this incident. I will teach them a lesson," Raj reiterated.

He said (his uncle) Bal Thackeray never indulged in dirty and low-level politics.

"I hate such pettiness. Uddhav has engaged in such dirty politics ever since he got active in Sena. It was one of the main reasons why I left Sena and floated my own political front. I do not like divide-and-rule politics. When I left Sena, many of Sena's elected representatives were in touch with me and had shown willingness to join the MNS. But I refused to take them," he said, adding he had always extended his support to Sena in crisis. "People of Maharashtra will never forget this dirty politics of Sena. I, too, will not forget this. I follow some principles and ethics in politics. I have always ensured wrong precedents are not set," he said.

"I knew these six corporators had developed close relationship with Sena. In the recent BMC ward committee elections, these defected MNS corporators indirectly helped the Sena to get its candidates elected asw ward committee presidents.

The elections to these ward committees were unopposed. Now it is out in the open. These corporators sold themselves. This incident has opened my eyes," said Raj.

Raj said that in future, he will never ever extend support to Shiv Sena. "Henceforth, I will never extend the olive branch. The chapter of joining hands with Sena is closed permanently for me. Now, I will show the Sena its place."

In the meanwhile, city BJP president Ashish Shelar met Raj at his residence on Sunday morning. Neither of them divulged what transpired in the meeting. The meeting is significant in the wake of developments in the BMC.