Uddhav takes on Shinde camp in Saamana interview, evokes Balasaheb Thackeray

Uddhav asked why the rebels led by Shinde were trying to appropriate Shiv Sena founder Late Bal Thackeray after destabilising the government headed by his son

Despite his party suffering a blow from the vertical split led by chief minister Eknath Shinde, Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray continues to keep the spirits high in his camp of a rebirth as he told the cadre that the political outfit will return to power in Maharashtra in the next assembly elections.

Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray. (HT File Photo)

Trying to strike an emotional chord with his loyalists, Thackeray asked why the rebels led by Shinde were trying to appropriate Shiv Sena founder Late Bal Thackeray after destabilising the government headed by his son.

The former chief minister, who was ousted following the Shinde rebellion, said that when the Shiv Sena and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were in power from 2014-19, Shinde had publicly complained about the over-bearing approach of the BJP and its attempts to corner the Sena.

Interestingly, Shinde joined hands with the BJP last month to usurp the CM’s post from Uddhav Thackeray, who is now projecting Shinde as a ‘power-hungry’ person.

The Sena chief made these statements in an interview with the party’s Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut, published the organisation’s mouthpiece ‘Saamana’ on Thursday. Raut is the executive editor of the publication.

“I will stand by my promise to (the late) Shiv Sena supremo,” said Uddhav in the interview, stating that the Sena will install its chief minister again in Maharashtra. “If this is not to be done, then what is the meaning of my struggle?” he asked.

Uddhav also rubbished claims by the rebels that he did not meet legislators and elected representatives during his tenure as the CM. He claimed that after his surgery, he was immobile for a while, thus affecting his public engagements.

Moreover, then deputy chief minister and finance minister Ajit Pawar had also clarified on the allegations that funds were not being given to departments controlled by Shiv Sena ministers. Thackeray claimed he had intervened in cases where there was a discrepancy in allocation of funds and stayed these decisions.

“I became the chief minister... What was your problem? You put up Balasaheb’s photos, but toppled his son from this position,” the Sena chief said.

Recalling an instance during his tenure, he said that when the rebels alleged that they did not want to be in alliance with the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) — the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi arrangement under Thackeray — Shinde resigned as a minister at a public meeting in the Kalyan Dombivali civic polls (2015), accusing the BJP of being unjust.

“He had resigned in my presence. Then, I had asked him to show restraint,” said Uddhav.

“When we were with the BJP, these people would say that the BJP troubles us. These people used to say we do not want the BJP, that the BJP is not allowing the Shiv Sena to work in villages. They used to object saying that the BJP was finishing off the Shiv Sena... Now, (they claim) the Congress- NCP is troubling them. What is it that you want? Are you just looking for excuses?” he asked.

“Those sitting in Delhi (the BJP high-command) want a ‘Shiv Sena vs Shiv Sena’ fight so that they can pit the Marathi manoos (people) against each other,” Uddhav claimed.

Uddhav also slammed the “misuse” of central investigation and enforcement agencies by the BJP against opposition leaders.