We told Uddhav 3-4 times to go with BJP, but he didn’t listen: Shinde
Maharashtra new chief minister Eknath Shinde said in New Delhi on Saturday that the rebel Shiv Sena leaders tried “three to four times” to convince Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray to go with “natural ally” BJP but he did not budge.
Shinde, who is in Delhi along with Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis, said the Sena MLAs were upset with the Maha Vikas Aghadi which was an unusual combination of Shiv Sena, Congress and the NCP.
Shinde and Fadnavis are in Delhi primarily to discuss cabinet expansion with the BJP’s central leadership.
Shinde also told media persons that the MLAs who are with him represent the real Shiv Sena. The Maharashtra CM said their party is recognised by the Maharashtra assembly speaker and therefore real.
Reposing faith in BJP backing his Shiv Sena, Shinde said that BJP is not hungry for power. “I have 50 MLAs, BJP has 115. People anticipated that the Chief Minister will be from the BJP. Can people now say the same thing about the BJP? They can’t. A small worker like me got a chance to be the Chief Minister,” Shinde said.
Also read: Bow and arrow poll symbol will remain with Sena, asserts Uddhav
Deputy CM and senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis said the new government is a success and will do good work for the people of Maharashtra. “I was the Chief Minister in the last term. Now the party wants me to be the Deputy CM so I have abided by the party’s decision. Eknath Shinde ji is our leader. We all will work under Shinde ji’s leadership. The natural alliance between Shiv Sena and BJP is back on track,” he said.
“There is nothing about me having a big heart. In BJP, we follow orders from the top leadership,” Fadnavis said in response to Shinde’s earlier statement where he said Fadnavis has a big heart for giving up the top position when the BJP had double the number of MLAs than the broken faction of the Shiv Sena.
In Delhi, Shinde and Fadnavis met BJP President JP Nadda, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and President Ram Nath Kovind. The duo will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi soon.
