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Shinde frustrated over Sena matters, looking for alternatives: Rane
The Union minister has been a bitter critic of the chief minister ever since he was expelled from the Shiv Sena in 2005 for alleged anti-party activities.
Union minister Narayan Rane on Saturday alleged that Maharashtra urban development minister and senior Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde is unhappy with the affairs in his party and may possibly switch sides.
“Even though he (Shinde) is the urban development minister in the Maha Vikas Aghadi government, he is being used only to sign files. The rest is in the hands of a ‘son’, who is also a minister, and another person who is not in politics. No file from the urban development department can be cleared without the approval from Matoshri (Thackeray’s residence),” Rane said without naming Aaditya Thackeray, environment minister and son of chief minister Uddhav Thackeray.
“He (Shinde) is frustrated and tired of this and is looking for alternatives… I will provide for him one day,” the Union minister added, pointing at the alleged unrest within the Shiv Sena.
Rane was on his ‘Jan Ashirwad Yatra’ near Vasai organised by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for new ministers in the Narendra Modi Cabinet when he made the remarks.
The Union minister has been a bitter critic of the chief minister ever since he was expelled from the Shiv Sena in 2005 for alleged anti-party activities. He also alleged that the MVA government would collapse soon.
Refuting Rane’s allegations of unrest within the Sena, party spokesperson Manisha Kayande said: “There is no unrest in the Shiv Sena. In fact, Shinde is one of the best performing ministers and is the first person to reach a spot if an incident happens. Rane has suddenly got a position and thus, is making all allegations to show his bosses that he is doing something.”
Kayande alleged that it was the BJP that was reeling under internal feud and not the Shiv Sena.
“BJP has no leader who can lead the party in the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation elections. This is the reason BJP loyalists have been sidelined and Rane is being projected. Thus, there is unrest in the BJP and not in Shiv Sena,” she said.
