Mumbai: It is not a coincidence that two former colleagues turned political rivals will be on separate tours on Saturday.
The Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who staged a rebellion in June and joined hands with the BJP to form the government, along with 49 legislators and 13 MPs (originally from the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena), will leave Mumbai on Saturday in at least two chartered planes for a two-day visit to Assam to take darshan of Goddess Kamakhya and seek her blessings for future political moves.
The visit is also to pay a vow to Goddess Kamakhya, as Shinde, along with 49 legislators, including 10 independents after their coup in June, travelled to Guwahati and took the deity’s darshan.
Uddhav Thackeray will be in Chikhli in Amravati
Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray chief Uddhav Thackeray, on the other hand, will be on a day-long tour of the tribally dominant Chikhli in Amravati district. Thackeray, who is currently engaged in rebuilding the party after Shinde and 39 other legislators defected, will interact with and address the farmers.
Thackeray is expected to target the Shinde Fadnavis government over apathy towards farmers, rising farmer suicides, and the lack of disbursement of financial assistance despite announcements to the farmers affected by retreating rains and floods.
Shinde camp legislators and MPs will fly in chartered planes
A senior legislator from the Eknath Shinde-led Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena told the Free Press Journal, ‘’Shinde camp legislators and MPs under the CM’s leadership will fly in chartered planes on Saturday to Guwahati and return on Sunday. After the rebellion in June, during our stay in Guwahati, our leader, Eknath Shinde, visited the Goddess Kamakhya temple, which is a famous shrine in India, and performed a special pooja. After becoming the Chief Minister, he and other legislators and MPs are going to Guwahati and taking Goddess Kamakhya’s darshan.’’
Shahaji Bapu Patil of the Shinde camp's Sangola constituency in Solapur district stated that the visit is to thank Goddess Kamakhya and pay the vow. ‘’Goddess has brought the Shinde government to the state, and the state’s problems are getting resolved. We are now going there to thank the goddess and pray for the best,’’ he said.
Ajit Pawar mocks the Shinde camp's visit to Guwahati
Ajit Pawar, the leader of the opposition, mocked the Shinde camp's visit to Guwahati and asked who they were going to sacrifice now.
‘’They are going to see Kamakhya Devi. In some places, goats are slaughtered; in a few other places, chickens are slaughtered. It is said that a male buffalo is cut there. It is not known who they are going to sacrifice now. But if someone is going for the almighty’s darshan, we wish each other a good lunch,’’ he noted.
Interestingly, the CM’s Assam visit is not only to pay the vow, but it is also structured as a government visit as Shinde and his counterpart, the Assam CM, Himanta Biswa Sarma, are expected to meet and discuss cooperation in the tourism sector. Both governments are likely to sign MoUs in the presence of Shinde and Sarma.
