Mumbai: Weeks after the fall of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government and the formation of the Shiv Sena-BJP government in Maharashtra, the state Bharatiya Janata Party chief, Chandrakant Patil, at the executive meeting on Saturday made an important disclosure – that it was ‘with a heavy heart’ the party’s central leadership had decided to make the rebel Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde the Chief Minister, instead of former Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis. “The decision to make Shinde the CM instead of Fadnavis was taken with a heavy heart, to stabilize the government and to give a message. We digested this sorrow and moved ahead with joy,” Patil said, in the presence of Fadnavis. However, the state BJP cut a sorry figure, being forced to immediately remove the video of Patil’s speech to avoid further embarrassment.
Patil said that Fadnavis and the central leadership had decided to make Eknath Shinde the chief minister. “We are all saddened by this decision. Fadnavis was the second CM after former CM Vasantrao Naik to complete a five-year term. The central leadership decided that he should accept the post of deputy chief minister and Fadnavis accepted it,” he added.
He further said that despite the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance getting a majority in the 2019 assembly elections, the Shiv Sena had betrayed the alliance and gone on to form the Maha Vikas Aghadi government. “People suffered a lot during the corona pandemic. Anyone who commented against the government was imprisoned. The development of the state slowed down. After carefully seeing the MVA rule during the last two-and-a-half years, there was a need for change of power in the state and that change has happened. There was a need to provide a leader who would convey the right message and implement good decisions,” he added.
Patil's remark sparks political debate; Fadnavis clarifies
Patil’s statement sparked a political furore, with the state NCP chief spokesman, Mahesh Tapase, claiming that the state BJP leadership was convinced the government had been formed illegally. “The BJP has left the CM’s post to Shinde as there was a feeling among the people that the government, which was formed in an unconstitutional manner and illegally, won’t survive,” he noted.
However, Fadnavis, in a bid to avoid further controversy, clarified that “Eknath Shinde is our leader. Chandrakant Patil’s statement was misinterpreted. We were all together in making Eknath Shinde the state chief minister. The Shiv Sena-BJP government will complete two-and-a-half years and will again come back to power”.
BJP legislator Ashish Shelar clarified that it was not the opinion of the state president, but the feeling among party workers on the turn of events after the fall of the MVA government.
Former minister Pankaja Munde, who was denied a nomination in the recently held state council election, also hailed the sacrifice made by Fadnavis. She also censured her supporters for staging a protest against her being denied a nomination and exhorted them to have faith in the party’s leadership.
