‘We will not break’: Flanked by Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar, Eknath Shinde rejects rift rumours

Amid reports of the rift, Eknath Shinde last week warned his detractors to not "take me lightly".

Maharashtra deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde on Sunday laid to rest rumours that an internal discord had emerged in the state's ruling alliance, saying the Shiv Sena-BJP-NCP's partnership “will not break”. Flanked by allies Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar, Shinde refuted reports of a cold war between the trio.

CM Devendra Fadnavis along with deputy CM Eknath Shinde and deputy CM Ajit Pawar during a press conference. (Photo by Anshuman Poyrekar/ Hindustan Times)

"No matter how much breaking news you give, we (Mahayuti) will not break. What is the cold war? There is nothing like that. In this scorching heat of Maharashtra... how is a cold war possible?" he was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

Amid reports of the rift, Eknath Shinde last week warned his detractors to not "take me lightly".

"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.

He was referring to the rebellion of Shiv Sena MLAs he spearheaded in 2022, which led to the fall of the Uddhav Thackeray government.

In a cryptic remark, Shinde had 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," he had said.

Some media reports claimed Shinde had been skipping meetings called by Fadnavis.

Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena has 57 MLAs in the Maharashtra assembly. The BJP has 132 seats.

Devendra Fadnavis warns opposition

Ahead of the budget session of the assembly, Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis attacked the opposition for not attending an all-party meeting.

"The budget session is going to start tomorrow. The Opposition has given us a 9-page letter. The situation in the Opposition is 'Hum aapke hai kaun?', not 'Hum Sath Sath hain'. They had an opportunity for fluent conversation, but they did not attend the 'Chahapan' (snack meeting before the budget session). The letter they gave us is only based on newspaper articles. We will give the opposition a long time to speak in the House," he said.