Shiv Sena (UBT) issues defamation notice to Maharashtra Legislative Council Member Neelam Gorhe

Shiv Sena issues defamation notice to Neelam Gorhe for controversial remarks against Uddhav Thackeray at literary event.

Shiv Sena (UBT) has issued a defamation notice to Neelam Gorhe, deputy chairperson and Member of the Maharashtra Legislative Council for making controversial remarks against Shiv Sena (UBT) chief, Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray at the Akhil Bharitya Marathi Sahitya Samelan held at New Delhi on Sunday (February 23, 2025). 

The defamation notice filed by Sushama Andhare, leader, Shiv Sena (UBT) through advocate Asim Sarode on Tuesday (February 25, 2025), alleged that during the Sammelan on Sunday, Ms. Gorhe made defamatory remarks against Mr. Thackeray, claiming one had to pay for the allotment of posts in the erstwhile undivided Shiv Sena led by him.

At the event, Ms. Gorhe had made statements alleging that during the regime of Shiv Sena (UBT), one had to gift Mercedes cars to Mr. Thackeray to secure plum posts in the government. The remarks garnered criticism from NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar who called her statement ‘foolish’, ‘uncalled for’ and ‘immature’. “She should have refrained from making such comments. A literary meet is not the platform for making political statements. The organisers of the event expressed disappointment, and they have tendered an apology for abuse of the platform,” he said.  

The legal defamation said that Ms. Gorhe has made claims that in the then undivided Shiv Sena, under Mr. Thackeray, key posts were allotted to people who gifted Mercedes cars to the party chief. “Mr. Gorhe has also said that appointments within the Shiv Sena (UBT) party were given only to those who were able to achieve it via monetary means. This was a scurrilous statement which is damaging the reputation of the original Shiv Sena and our client Sushama Andhare who is a leader of the Shiv Sena (UBT). The statements were widely reported in the media and have caused harm to the reputation of the Shiv Sena (UBT) and its chief,” the defamation letter read.  

As a matter of fact, former Chief Minister of Maharashtra Prithviraj Chavan and former Central Environment Minister Suresh Prabhu too talked at the Sammelan but without making any controversial statements, the letter said. They had connected their talk with politics of Maharashtra, Marathi speaking people and Marathi literature. “For instance, Mr. Chavan said it will be an injustice to not credit the former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for getting the classical language status to Marathi. You must have noted that people who are thoughtful always talk and express something in a dignified manner and they seldom try to take undue advantage of any forum being made available to them. It is regrettable that you have chosen the literary forum to make baseless allegations and defame the then undivided original Shiv Sena along with the chief of the original Shiv Sena Mr. Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray,” the defamation letter said.  

The notice added that even the organizers of the Sammelan have publicly expressed their displeasure by saying “We cannot stop anybody from making such statements but we expect them to respect the literary conferences. There are other platforms to speak out and settle personal scores. This was not the venue for such allegations.”