Rebel Sena MLAs now say 'we are not backstabbers'; hurting Uddhav never a plan

We still have respect for Thackeray ji, rebel Sena MLA Deepak Kesarkar said in a press conference held in Goa on Thursday. The allies of Shiv Sena betrayed the party in the Rajya Sabha, Kesarkar said adding that Uddhav Thackeray had promised that he would send a Shiv Sainik to the Upper House.

Published on: Jun 30, 2022, 13:08:46 IST

By HT News Desk | Written by Poulomi Ghosh

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Rebel Shiv Sena MLA Deepak Kesarkar on Thursday said disrespecting Uddhav Thackeray was not the intention at all as all the rebel MLAs are very much a part of the party still. Kesarkar addressed the media at Goa where the rebel MLAs who managed to pull down the Maha Vikas Aghadi government are staying as of now. Only Eknath Shinde has left for Mumbai to meet BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis for final discussion on the government formation. Also Read: Eknath Shinde says portfolio talks with BJP soon, everything else rumours

Deepak Kesarkar speaking to the press in Goa on Thursday.

"Sanjay Raut accused us of backstabbing. But this is not true. We are not backstabbers. Balasaheb Thackeray made an alliance with the BJP and we want the same," Kesarkar said a day after Uddhav announced his resignation on a Facebook Live on Wednesday.

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'We are not against the Thackeray family.. we are ready to talk to Uddhav ji if he breaks the alliance with the Maha Vikas Aghadi but he is still with them. We have not gone to Supreme Cpurt against Thackeray. We still have respect for Thackeray ji," the Eknath Shinde camp spokesperson said.

In his farewell speech as the chief minister, Uddhav Thackeray thanked Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar and Congress president Sonia Gandhi for trusting him with the alliance that governed Maharashtra since 2019 after Shiv Sena decided to sever its ties with long-standing partner BJP.

Kesarkar said some people claimed that the rebel MLAs were celebrating after Uddhav Thackeray resigned but it was not the case. "We were not celebrating because we did not want to hurt Uddhav Thackeray," the rebel leader said.

Talking about the Rajya Sabha election, Kesarkar said Uddhav Thackeray had promised to send a Shiv Sainik to the Rajya Sabha but the allies betrayed the Shiv Sena. "Action should have been taken by Uddhav Thackeray then and there," Kesarkar added.

Eknath Shinde has left for Mumbai to have a formal discussion with Fadnavis, who is likely to be the chief minister. Talks on portfolio allocation have not taken place yet, Shinde tweeted before flying to Mumbai.

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