Nine months after the change in government, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is yet to digest that it cannot retain power. On the other hand, Shiv Sena is raking up how its former ally dumped the pre-poll promise of sharing power. Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, while moving the condolence motion for the death of former President Pranab Mukherjee, took a swipe at BJP and said, “Showing gratitude is also a rare quality. Otherwise, after getting the chair of power, everything is forgotten." Although he did not name former CM Devendra Fadnavis, he reminded him that sharing the CM’s post for half the term was part of its pre-poll pact, which BJP failed to honour.
“Trusting someone is not our weakness, but our virtue. Our culture is that we can give our life, but won’t go back on our words. Neither is the Shiv Sena helpless, nor is your party president,” Thackeray had said on the occasion of the party’s foundation day in June this year.
However, hailing Mukherjee, Thackeray said that the former president had congratulated him on the Shiv Sena's win in the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation elections held in 2017. He said that he had first met Mukherjee when the latter had visited Matoshree with National Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar as part of his campaign for the presidential polls.
"I realised he was a sensitive human being who treated others with respect. This is a rare quality," Thackeray said. The chief minister recalled that when Pranab Mukherjee, as president, was in Mumbai a few years ago, he got a call that the visiting dignitary wanted to meet him.
"I went to the Raj Bhavan with Aaditya and Mukherjee told me he never thought he would be the president. But the Shiv Sena openly supported my candidature and facilitated my win. Unfortunately, Balasaheb Thackeray is not with us now and my tenure is ending," the chief minister said recalling Mukherjee's words.
