Eknath Shinde, the Chief Minister, has aimed Uddhav Thackeray, his former employer and the leader of the Shiv Sena, saying that he hesitated to link himself with the
BJP because of concern that he would lose his position as chief minister. What would happen to the CM's position following the BJP alliance? The CM's position would be vacant for a while. They (Uddhav Thackeray) did not find that acceptable," claimed Shinde, who had begun planning the Dussehra gathering on BKC for the mobilisation of the Shiv Sena under his leadership.
"Among MLAs, resentment was increasing. They were diverted in the past. In my conversations with the leadership, I had proposed an alliance between the BJP and the Shiv Sena four or five times. I informed them of the lawmakers' party positions. But there was some uncertainty about what would happen to the CM's five-year tenure. The CM's position would have been interrupted if the alliance takes place. Finally, the MLAs were so angry that I was left powerless. That caused the uptick," claimed Shinde.
"Now that I have the skilled Devendra Fadnavis alongside me, there won't be any problems," he said. It was ludicrous that the Shiv Sena, who we battled, joined forces with the
NCP and Congress. But by working along with the BJP, we took corrective steps," he remarked.
Before arriving in Mumbai, Shinde recalled his private encounters with Fadnavis in Surat, Guwahati, and Goa. "Those meetings happened at night. Every time was different. The power was ours. The only thing on us was us. Under these circumstances, the "operation" or "mission" was not simple. But we did get together and converse," he recalled.
How will it occur if no one speaks? Physical check-ups were common. Devendra Fadnavis had never visited Satara to meet with me. Talking on the phone was not an option. Because our phones used to be tapped," Shinde said, referring to his many conversations with Fadnavis after the revolt.
Shinde has made it clear that the uprising—which he does not refer to as a coup against the leadership—did not take place in order to win the CM's position. Shiv Sena lawmakers expressed concern over their friends' actions. The Shiv Sena legislators' home districts were being penetrated by the NCP and
Congress. The party lawmakers were irate. On top of that, party legislators were accused of bogus cases that had been filed against them. In a few instances, the police started the process to expel them. According to the Maharashtra Control of Organized Crime Act, one legislator was arrested. That was excessive, he said.
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