Eknath Shinde takes a dig at Uddhav Thackeray, says 'had Shiv Sena tied up with BJP 2.5 years ago, split could have been averted'

A day after Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray announced party’s support to NDA nominee Draupadi Murmu in the Presidential election, the Chief Minister Eknath Shinde took a swipe at his estranged boss saying that that had the party taken the decision to form the government with BJP two and half years ago the present situation (split) would have not happened. He thereby once again slammed Thackeray for forming the Maha Vikas Aghadi government with NCP and Congress while ditching the BJP.

Shinde has said that over 50 legislators comprising 40 from Shiv Sena and 10 independents and smaller parties have sided with BJP on party supremo Balasaheb Thackeray’s thoughts and Hindutva. He reiterated that Thackeray should not have stitched alliance with NCP and Congress instead should have continued the tie up with BJP after assembly elections held in 2019.

Shinde, who paid tribute to Balasaheb Thackeray and Anand Dighe on the occasion of Guru Poornima today, also rejected NCP chief Sharad Pawar’s proposal for an alliance between NCP and Shiv Sena saying that the Shiv Sena-BJP government, which came to power on June 30, was stable. Shinde has already claimed that his faction was an original Shiv Sena and had justified his move to ally with BJP on the Hindutva issue in the state.

‘’Currently, there is a Shiv Sena and BJP government in the state and this government is stable. Therefore, we do not agree with the proposal made by NCP President Sharad Pawar to form an alliance with Shiv Sena,’’ said Shinde, adding that the meeting between MNS chief Raj Thackeray and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was a goodwill visit.

Shinde said that ‘’I am working as an ordinary worker for the overall development of the state. We are working according to the teachings of Shiv Sena chief Balasaheb Thackeray and Anand Dighe so that the lives of ordinary citizens can be changed.’’