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Maha political crisis: Many Sena legislators in Mumbai feel BJP better option than Congress-NCP
PUNE Many legislators currently in Mumbai – who on Tuesday visited Varsha, the official residence of chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, to attend a meeting called by the latter – advised the CM that the BJP is a better option for the Shiv Sena vis-à-vis the Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), and requested him to rethink his stand and join hands with the BJP
PUNE Many legislators currently in Mumbai – who on Tuesday visited Varsha, the official residence of chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, to attend a meeting called by the latter – advised the CM that the BJP is a better option for the Shiv Sena vis-à-vis the Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), and requested him to rethink his stand and join hands with the BJP. Simultaneously, a four-time MP from Washim, Bhavana Gawali, wrote a letter to Thackeray, requesting him to take a call on rejoining forces with the BJP.
By evening Gulabrao Patil along with six other MLAs reached Guwahati increasing the strength of rival camp. Among the others who decided to join Eknath Shinde were Yogesh kadam, Sanjay Rathod, Sada Sarvankar and Mangesh Kudalkar. There were two independents Chandrakant Patil and Manjula Gavit.
One of the legislators who requested the CM to join hands with the BJP is Deepak Kesarkar, an MLA from Konkan, who in an interview with Hindustan Times said that he has been insisting for the past two years that the Sena leadership rethink the party’s association with the Congress and NCP. Kesarkar – miffed with the way the Shiv Sainiks first stopped him and then chased him to keep a watch on his activities – said that he, along with four other MLAs, requested Thackeray in a closed-door meeting at Varsha to rethink his stand and accept (Eknath) Shinde’s proposal.
Kesarkar said, “We requested the chief minister that BJP is a natural ally for the Sena and he should rethink about joining hands with that party. We told him that the NCP-Congress cannot be our natural allies.” In response to their request however, Thackeray cited instances where the BJP ‘personally targeted’ various Sena leaders and their families including that of the CM, according to Kesarkar. Whereas Patil said he plans to go to Guwahati to join Eknath Shinde even as quitting the Sena is not on his mind. “There are many other MLAs from the state already in Guwahati. I feel I should go there too,” said Patil. If Kesarkar and Patil along with three other MLAs who are currently in Mumbai join Shinde, the strength of the rival camp within the Sena would increase substantially. Despite repeated attempts, Bhuse could not be contacted for his reaction.
While the MLAs are mounting pressure on Thackeray to join hands with the BJP, Shiv Sena MPs from the Lok Sabha have also started coming out in the open as regards insisting that the CM change his stance. In the letter that Gawali wrote, which HT has seen, she asked Thackeray to take the call even if it’s a tough one. “Our party’s MLAs are requesting you to take some decision on the lines of Hindutva. These are all hard-core Shiv Sainiks. Please consider their emotions and take the call even if it’s a tough one without taking any action against these MLAs,” Gawali wrote. Despite repeated attempts, she did not respond to our calls. Gawali was among the three MPs besides Rajendra Gavit from Palghar, who were absent during Wednesday’s meeting called by Thackeray at Varsha.
Amid requests and rebellion from Sena leaders, Thackeray has asked his rebel MLAs to come and tell him on his face that they do not trust him. “It’s not about the numbers but about how many are against me. I will leave even if one person or MLA is against me. It will be shameful for me even if a single MLA is against me. If my own people don’t want me as the CM, if any MLA says they don’t want me as chief minister, I will resign immediately,” Thackeray made an emotional statement on social media.
