Shiv Sena (UBT) calls Fadnavis a 'rumour factory chairman' in Saamana editorial
Synopsis
Shiv Sena (UBT)'s Saamana editorial didn't just attack Fadnavis — it named him 'Chairman' of a BJP rumour factory staffed by 2,000 IT Cell workers. The piece methodically dismantles three NCP(SP)-NDA merger narratives one by one, framing them as manufactured distractions from a Maharashtra governed, the party alleges, entirely by Delhi diktat.
Key Takeaways
Shiv Sena (UBT) accused Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis of running a 'rumour-manufacturing factory' through the BJP's IT Cell, in a Saamana editorial on 9 July .
The editorial claimed the BJP's IT Cell employs at least 2,000 salaried workers to spread political misinformation.
The Thackeray camp listed three successive false narratives it attributed to the 'Devendra Factory' targeting NCP(SP) and Sharad Pawar .
The editorial clarified that the Pawar-Fadnavis meeting was an official session on the Maharashtra-Karnataka border dispute , attended by a 20-to-25-member delegation.
The editorial called joining the NDA at this stage 'political suicide' for any regional party, and criticised Fadnavis for silence on a reported assault on a female doctor in Thane .
Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) on Thursday, 9 July launched a sharp political offensive against Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, accusing him of operating a 'rumour-manufacturing factory' to engineer political instability and divert public attention from pressing state issues. The attack came through a strongly worded editorial in the party's mouthpiece Saamana, targeting the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leadership at both the state and national level.
The 'Devendra Factory' Charge
The editorial directly named Fadnavis as the 'Chairman' of what it called a BJP-run 'rumour-manufacturing factory', pointing to the party's IT Cell operations. 'At least two thousand salaried individuals work in this factory, commonly known as the IT Cell, costing millions of rupees monthly. It is because the Chief Minister has successfully built these rumour factories that he has ironically earned the title of ‘Inframan’. Whenever there is a need to deflect from Maharashtra's core issues, this factory pumps out misinformation to trigger chaos in the state,' the editorial stated.
The Thackeray faction outlined what it described as a calculated sequence of false narratives generated by the 'Devendra Factory' targeting the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP SP): first, claims that NCP(SP) Members of Parliament were breaking away; then, rumours of a full party merger with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA); and finally, a narrative of merger between both NCP factions while excluding Sunetra Pawar and Parth Pawar.
Clarifying Political Meetings
The editorial moved to counter specific rumours about recent interactions among Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) leaders. It stated that a recent meeting between Sharad Pawar and Devendra Fadnavis was an official assembly focused entirely on the Maharashtra-Karnataka border dispute, attended by a 20-to-25-member delegation that included the Maharashtra Ekikiaran Samiti of Belagavi. The editorial termed any suggestion of secret NDA merger talks during such a meeting as 'ridiculous'.
The editorial also defended NCP(SP) leader Jayant Patil over rumours stemming from a brief interaction with BJP leader Vinod Tawde at a Mumbai hotel. Quoting Patil's own clarification, it explained that Patil had gone to meet MP Supriya Sule during a recess of a Parliamentary Committee meeting, where Tawde was also present as a fellow member. Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Arvind Sawant is also on the same committee, the editorial noted, underscoring that such co-presence is routine parliamentary practice.
Delhi Control and Governance Critique
The Thackeray camp alleged a fundamental deterioration in Maharashtra's governance, claiming that decisions are dictated entirely from Delhi while local leaders are informed only at the final hour. It further alleged that the BJP breaks opposition parties and engineers splits among sitting MPs and MLAs not through goodwill but through financial pressure and the deployment of central investigative agencies — what the editorial called 'fund bullying'.
The editorial declared that joining the NDA at this stage would amount to 'political suicide' for any regional force. It dismissed the logic of Union Home Minister Amit Shah welcoming the original NCP(SP) while Ajit Pawar's faction is already part of the Mahayuti alliance, calling such a scenario 'senseless'.
Broader Attacks on BJP and Fadnavis
Turning to national politics, the Thackeray faction alleged that the BJP faces nationwide embarrassment over corruption accusations linked to the Ram Temple, which it claimed has alienated the party's core voter base. It further alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's popularity is 'sliding down like the rupee' while Amit Shah faces internal opposition within the party.
The editorial also criticised Fadnavis for remaining silent on what it described as a 'murderous assault' on a female doctor in Thane district, allegedly carried out by individuals linked to Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. The Thackeray camp argued that the Chief Minister's focus on trivial political manoeuvres over serious law-and-order matters reflects deep frustration at being bypassed by decisions made in Delhi. The NDA's response to these allegations is awaited.
Point of View
Even when false, can erode trust within a coalition held together more by anti-BJP sentiment than shared ideology. The 'Delhi diktat' framing is also strategic — it positions Fadnavis not as a strong state leader but as a remote-controlled proxy, a narrative that could resonate with Maharashtra's historically autonomy-conscious electorate. The silence on Thane, if sustained, hands the opposition a concrete governance failure to anchor an otherwise narrative-driven attack.
NationPress
9 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Shiv Sena (UBT) allege about CM Devendra Fadnavis in Saamana?
Shiv Sena (UBT) accused Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis of running a 'rumour-manufacturing factory' through the BJP's IT Cell, in an editorial published in Saamana on 9 July. The party named Fadnavis 'Chairman' of this operation and alleged it employs around 2,000 salaried workers to spread political misinformation.
What NCP(SP)-NDA merger rumours did the Saamana editorial address?
The editorial outlined three successive narratives it attributed to the BJP: first, that NCP(SP) MPs were breaking away; second, that the full party would merge with the NDA; and third, that both NCP factions would merge while excluding Sunetra Pawar and Parth Pawar. The Thackeray camp dismissed all three as manufactured disinformation.
Why did Saamana defend Jayant Patil over his meeting with Vinod Tawde?
The editorial quoted NCP(SP) leader Jayant Patil's clarification that he had gone to meet MP Supriya Sule during a Parliamentary Committee recess, where BJP leader Vinod Tawde was also present as a fellow committee member. It argued that routine parliamentary co-presence was being weaponised as evidence of political crossover.
What did the Saamana editorial say about the Pawar-Fadnavis meeting?
The editorial stated that the meeting between Sharad Pawar and Devendra Fadnavis was an official government session on the Maharashtra-Karnataka border dispute, attended by a 20-to-25-member delegation including the Maharashtra Ekikiaran Samiti of Belagavi. It termed suggestions of secret NDA merger talks during the meeting 'ridiculous'.
What governance criticism did Shiv Sena (UBT) level at Fadnavis?
The Thackeray camp alleged that Maharashtra's governance is dictated entirely from Delhi, with local leaders informed only at the last moment. It also criticised Fadnavis for remaining silent on a reported assault on a female doctor in Thane district, allegedly involving individuals linked to Deputy CM Eknath Shinde.
