‘Was denied the dy CM post by Uddhav’: Eknath Shinde on last year's defection

Shinde was in Vashi on Saturday evening for his felicitation and party workers’ meet where gushed about how much work his government had done in the last year

Launching a scathing attack on Uddhav Thackeray, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde claimed that Devendra Fadnavis, as erstwhile chief minister, had agreed to give the BMC to the Shiv Sena only because Shinde requested him to for Thackeray’s sake. He added that Fadnavis also offered the deputy chief minister’s post to the Sena but Thackeray did not take it, as Shinde would have then got the post.

Talking about his defection last year, Shinde declared that as “Balasaheb’s true Shiv Sainik”, he had decided to “forego power for the sake of Balasaheb’s ideology and beliefs”. “Some people thought my decision was suicidal but I went ahead, irrespective of the outcome. Never has anyone quit when in power, but I and my people did.” (Bachchan Kumar/ HT PHOTO)

Shinde was in Vashi on Saturday evening for his felicitation and party workers’ meet. Addressing the gathering, he said, “The BJP had almost won the BMC when Devendra was CM. If he had decided, the mayor would have been a BJP one. I told him that Mumbai meant the world to our leader so to please leave Mumbai for us without any conditions. Just on my word, Devendra agreed, but how was he rewarded for it? Following the state election results, he made 40 to 50 calls to us, but we ignored them all.”

Shinde added that he knew “so much”. “Don’t force me to say it,” he declared dramatically. “I believe in responding with my work.”

The CM then gushed about how much work his government had done in the last year. “Even Ajit Pawar has joined the government seeing the kind of work we have done,” he said. Reassuring his cadre of the political equations following Ajit’s entry, he said, “There is some mathematics we have to follow. Devendra and Ajit Pawar have administrative experience, and together we shall work for everyone’s welfare. I shall personally ensure that there is no bias against any party MLA who has joined our government. But I will, of course, ensure that not one Shiv Sainik faces any injustice.”

Talking about his defection last year, Shinde declared that as “Balasaheb’s true Shiv Sainik”, he had decided to “forego power for the sake of Balasaheb’s ideology and beliefs”. “Some people thought my decision was suicidal but I went ahead, irrespective of the outcome. Never has anyone quit when in power, but I and my people did.”

He reminisced, “We were threatened with consequences when we returned to the city, but I refused to take a helicopter and travelled by road. This is our Balasaheb’s Mumbai and no one dared to touch me… It was my ‘daring’ that led Modi and Amit Shah to make me the CM, and Devendra, as a brother, also agreed and supported the decision.”

Speaking to the media after the felicitation, Shinde dismissed as “laughable” Congress leader Balasaheb Thorat’s demand for President’s rule in Maharashtra. “We have 210 MLAs,” he said. “How can a person who has been a minister make such a demand when we have a thumping majority?”