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Eknath Shinde's cryptic 'don't take me lightly' message amid Mahayuti rift rumours
Eknath Shinde also reacted to the death threat he recently received.
Amid rumours of a rift brewing within Maharashtra's ruling alliance, deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde warned his detractors on Friday to not "take me lightly".
Eknath Shinde, referring to his rebellion against Uddhav Thackeray in the undivided Shiv Sena, said he toppled the government of the state when he was "taken lightly" in 2022.
"Do not take me lightly; I have already said this to those who have taken me lightly. I am a normal party worker, but I am a worker of Bala Saheb, and everyone should take me with this understanding. When you took it lightly in 2022, I changed the government; we brought the government of the wishes of the common people," he was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
Eknath Shinde had reportedly been skipping meetings called by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis fueling speculation of the rift, reported India Today.
Shinde's rebellion led to the fall of the Uddhav Thackeray government and a vertical split in the Shiv Sena in 2022. He later stitched an alliance with the BJP and became the chief minister of Maharashtra. However, after the BJP's stellar performance in the recent assembly election, he was forced to relinquish the coveted post.
Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena has 57 MLAs to the assembly. The BJP has 132 seats in the 288-member assembly.
In a cryptic remark, Shinde said those who take him lightly must “understand this hint”
"In my first speech in the Vidhan Sabha, I said that Devendra Fadnavis ji would get more than 200 seats, and we got 232 seats. That is why do not take me lightly; those who want to understand this hint, they should understand it, and I will continue doing my work," Shinde said.
Eknath Shinde on death threat
Shinde also reacted to the death threat he recently received.
"Threats have come before too. There were many threats when the dance bar was closed. There were threats to kill me, and attempts were made, but I was not afraid. The Naxalites had threatened me, but I did not give in to their threats... I did the work of starting the first industrial project in Gadchiroli," he said.
Shinde on Thursday received a death threat in the email.
The Mumbai police have arrested two persons from Buldhana in connection with the email.
With inputs from ANI
