Rebel Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde today said that he will soon return to Mumbai, and rubbished Shiv Sena’s claim that as many as 20 MLAs of his group are in touch with the Uddhav Thackeray-led party, as per ANI.
New Delhi: Amid political uncertainty in Maharashtra, former chief minister and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis reached Delhi on Tuesday to discuss the political situation in the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in the state. According to ANI, Fadanavis has come to the national capital hours after a core committee meeting of the Bharatiya Janata Party`s Maharashtra unit was held on Monday to discuss the state`s political situation.
Meanwhile, rebel Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde today said that he will soon return to Mumbai, and rubbished Shiv Sena’s claim that as many as 20 MLAs of his group are in touch with the Uddhav Thackeray-led party. Talking to reporters outside the luxury Radisson Blu Hotel where he and his group of MLAs are lodged since last week, Shinde also said he has the support of 50 MLAs.
“All these MLAs have come here on their own and to take forward Hindutva,” Shinde said. Senior Sena leaders have been claiming that around 20 MLAs of the party, now with Shinde in Guwahati, are in touch with them and want to return to Maharashtra.
A total of 48 rebel MLAs of Maharashtra including 39 rebel MLAs of Shiv Sena are staying at Radisson Blu Hotel in Guwahati since June 22.
Earlier in the day, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut had warned the BJP and Devendra Fadnavis to not get involved in the crisis unfolding in the MVA government. “If they do, then their party (BJP), Fadnavis and PM Modi`s names will be tarnished,” Raut said.
The political tussle in Maharashtra between Shiv Sena and the rebel group led by Eknath Shinde has now reached the Supreme Court. The pleas filed by the breakaway camp challenge the disqualification proceedings against Shinde and 15 other rebel MLAs.
On Monday, a separate plea was filed by Shinde in the top court regarding the safety of the legislators who have challenged party chief and Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray.
A bench of Justices Surya Kant and JB Pardiwala heard the pleas on Monday. The Supreme Court granted interim relief to rebel Shiv Seva leader Eknath Shinde and other MLAs to file their reply to disqualification notices issued to them by the Deputy Speaker of Maharashtra Assembly by July 12, 5.30 pm.
“This is the win of the Hindutva of Balasaheb Thackeray and the ideas of Anand Dighe,” Eknath Shinde tweeted after the Supreme Court deferred the disqualification proceedings of rebel MLAs till July 11.
Meanwhile, attacking rebel MLAs of the party, Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray accused them of “betraying” the party and said, “the dirt has gone out of Shiv Sena”. Thackeray, who was addressing Shiv Sainiks in Mumbai said the party rebels were “enjoying” in Guwahati when Assam was dealing with floods in parts of the state.
Thackeray also claimed that 15 to 20 MLAs, who are in the Eknath Shinde`s rebel camp were in touch with the Shiv Sena and have urged the party to bring them back to Mumbai from Guwahati. He said the leader of the rebel group Eknath Shinde was offered the post of Chief Minister in May but “he did drama”.
It may be mentioned that after BJP managed to secure a majority in the 2019 Assembly election, Fadnavis took oath as a Chief Minister of Maharashtra, but he soon tendered his resignation after his deputy and NCP leader Ajit Pawar quit.
After Fadnavis quit, a post-poll alliance of the Shiv Sena, Nationalist Congress Party(NCP) and the Congress picked Uddhav Thackeray as their nominee for the chief minister`s post. The BJP won 105 seats in the 288-member assembly followed by Shiv Sena 56, NCP 54 and Congress 44.
