Will make big revelation on Anand Dighe soon: Shinde

Mumbai: As he began his state tour in Malegaon in north Maharashtra on Saturday, chief minister Eknath Shinde issued a veiled threat to former CM Uddhav Thackeray by saying that he would make revelations about the late Sena strongman Anand Dighe which would lead to “a political earthquake”

Mumbai: As he began his state tour in Malegaon in north Maharashtra on Saturday, chief minister Eknath Shinde issued a veiled threat to former CM Uddhav Thackeray by saying that he would make revelations about the late Sena strongman Anand Dighe which would lead to “a political earthquake”.

Nashik: Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde with former Maharashtra agriculture minister Dada Bhuse during the inauguration of a new sub-divisional police officer's building, in Nashik district, Saturday, July 30, 2022. (PTI Photo) (PTI07_30_2022_000215B) (PTI)

“I know a few things about what happened to Anand Dighe. I have not spoken about the same yet but I would do it in the coming days,” Shinde said referring to his mentor, a highly regarded Shiv Sena leader from Thane, who died following an accident in 2001.

Shinde, however, cut short his state-wide tour and left for New Delhi late Saturday night. He is expected to meet the top brass in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to discuss the expansion of the state cabinet. It is likely that he will return to Aurangabad on Sunday and continue his tour. The CM embarked upon the tour a month after he formed the government with the BJP after leading a rebellion of Sena leaders in June, which led to the fall of the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition government. As per the original itinerary, he is expected to address a public meeting in Aurangabad on Sunday. He is also expected to visit Pune on Tuesday to oversee development works and speak at a rally in Saswad, in Pune district.

“I will not say some things openly today, but will do so at the right time. At the moment, there is a spate of interviews. On the day that I speak out and when I am interviewed, there will be a huge earthquake not just in the state, but in the country,” Shinde said referring to Thackeray’s interviews to the Shiv Sena mouthpiece ‘Saamna’ on 26 and 27 July.

“There are more things between me and them. I will not spell them out today, but as there are attacks from the opposite side, I too will have to open my mouth and [that will lead to] an earthquake,” he said.

In his interview to Saamana, Thackeray said that Shinde conspired to bring down the Sena-led MVA government last year too, at a time when Thackeray had undergone a spine surgery.

Shinde on Saturday said that he had more to reveal about Dighe, who was Sena’s strongman in Thane. A 50-year-old charismatic leader, Dighe was injured in an accident in 2001 and passed away in soon after. His supporters suspected foul play and went on a rampage, burning down Singhania hospital in Thane (where Dighe was treated). A biopic Dharmaveer, based on Dighe’s life was released in May barely a month before Shinde rebelled against Thackeray and brought down the government.

Shinde, who formed a government with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Devendra Fadnavis as deputy CM earlier this month, said that the movie had won many awards, but “some people” had not liked it. “The Dharmaveer movie was only an example, but I am a witness to what happened in his (Dighe’s) actual life. I will speak at the opportune time for sure,” said Shinde.

Shinde is expected to address a public meeting in Aurangabad on Sunday. He will visit Pune on Tuesday to oversee development works and is expected to speak at a rally in Saswad, in Pune district.