Eknath Shinde meets Amit Shah with grievances on BJP’s poaching spree

Eknath Shinde met Amit Shah to address BJP's poaching of Shiv Sena leaders, expressing concerns over alliance tensions ahead of local elections.

MUMBAI: Day after the high drama ensued in the backdrop of the political tussle between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena -- the two major constituents of the Mahayuti – Sena chief and deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde dashed off to Delhi for a dialogue with union home minister Amit Shah, on Wednesday. Shinde reportedly asked for Shah’s intervention to halt the Maharashtra unit of BJP’s poaching spree of Sena leaders and workers, violating the spirit of the alliance.

New Delhi, Nov 19 (ANI): Union Home Minister Amit Shah meets Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, in New Delhi on Wednesday. (Office of Eknath Shinde/ANI Photo) (ANI Twitter)

On Wednesday, Shinde was scheduled to meet chief minister Devendra Fadnavis for a discussion on new criminal laws, following which he was supposed to attend a seminar on rental housing, but he stayed on at his Thane residence and flew out to the Capital subsequently.

Shinde is irked by state BJP chief Ravindra Chavan, and he purportedly told Shah that instead of running the alliance smoothly, the BJP was openly poaching Sena men, indicating the recent defections (a total of 17, including four on Tuesday) from Shiv Sena to BJP in Kalyan-Dombivli, in Thane district. He is believed to have told Shah that some leaders “are working out of personal interest, and steps must be taken to curb that”.

After Chavan inducted Anmol Mhatre, a Shinde confidante from Kalyan where Shinde’s son Shrikant is an MP, Sena ministers sharply reacted on Tuesday, boycotting the state cabinet meeting chaired by Fadnavis. It was followed by meetings between leaders from the two parties in a bid to broker truce. The BJP leaders however have said that the induction into the BJP will continue.

A close aide of Shinde said the deputy CM’s meeting with Shah ran for nearly 50 minutes. Shinde told Shah that the atmosphere in the state is extremely favourable for the alliance in the upcoming local elections. However, some BJP leaders are spoiling the environment, giving the opposition an undue advantage. This is also causing uncertainty among party workers and could hinder the alliance’s winning momentum, Shinde told the union home minister, according to his aide.

Shinde’s main grouse was against Chavan. Leaders within the alliance should avoid criticizing one another, Shinde suggested to Shah, said his aide.

Speaking to the media after the meeting with Shah, Shinde said, “I am not a cribber, I am a fighter. I don’t bring local issues to the national level. Five constituents of NDA came together for the Bihar elections. When we fight together, the results are better. We have also seen this in Maharashtra.”

He said that the anger festering among Sena ministers was at the state level. When asked by the media about him being constantly targeted by Chavan and Thane sampark mantri Ganesh Naik (of BJP) Shinde said that they have been told to do what needs to be done (maintain alliance’s dharma). He added, “Care needs to be taken to ensure that the Mahayuti does not suffer.”