Modi, Thackeray met for an alliance in 2021: 2 Shiv Sena ministers

Two ministers from the Eknath Shinde faction of Shiv Sena who deposed for the cross-examination on Monday, at the Vidhan Bhavan in Nagpur, made startling claims

NAGPUR : Two ministers from the Eknath Shinde faction of Shiv Sena who deposed for the cross-examination on Monday, at the Vidhan Bhavan in Nagpur, made startling claims of a promise of a renewed alliance between the then Shiv Sena and BJP.

Uddhav Thackeray met PM Narendra Modi while on a Delhi tour with his deputy Ajit Pawar and Congress leader Ashok Chavan, said Deepak Kesarkar (File Photo)

School education minister Deepak Kesarkar told Sena (UBT) counsel Devadatt Kamat that he had mediated between UddhavThackeray and prime minister Narendra Modi in June 2021 for a reconciliation to form the government by dissolving the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government. After the alleged meeting, he said, Thackeray developed cold feet and failed to keep his promise to Modi.

Kesarkar said on June 8, 2021, Thackeray met Modi while on a Delhi tour with his deputy Ajit Pawar and Congress leader Ashok Chavan. “Thackeray and Modi met separately. Thackeray later told me that the two parties had decided to come together. He had promised Modi to form a Sena-BJP government by dissolving the MVA government in 15 days. But he subsequently told me to convey to the PM that he would need more time to persuade his party colleagues,” Kesarkar told Kamat, adding that most party leaders were in favour of the fresh turn of events.

Kesakar’s colleague, industries minister Uday Samant, told Kamat that Thackeray had promised his legislators while forming the MVA government (in November 2019) that he will take steps to join hands with BJP and form a two-party government soon. He said a group of MLAs headed by Eknath Shinde had approached Thackeray, when MVA was in the making, expressing their unhappiness over snapping ties with BJP as both parties shared similar ideology.

“I decided to swear in as higher and technical minister in the MVA government only because we got the assurance from Thackeray about a BJP-Sena union,” Samant said responding to Kamat’s question.

Both underscored that Thackeray was never appointed party chief, and that they looked upon him as their leader in reverence for the party’s founder Bal Thackeray.

After the hearing, leaders of the Shinde faction said the deposition by two ministers would help them establish their claims made in disqualification petitions.

Three other leaders from the Shinde faction will depose for the cross-examination on Tuesday, following which both sides will be given three days to file written arguments before the oral arguments from December 18.