Rebel Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde, who is camping along with nearly 50 party legislators and independents in Guwahati's Radisson Blu Hotel, would have become Chief Minister if the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had kept its word after the 2019 Assembly election results, Sena's Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut told ABP Majha on Saturday.
"If the BJP had kept its word of having Chief Ministers from both the parties for 2.5 years each, Eknath Shinde would have become Chief Minister from Shiv Sena. Shinde's name was in Uddhav Thackeray's mind for the post. Shinde's could not become the Chief Minister because the BJP was dishonest and now he is going with the same BJP," Raut said.
Meanwhile, the national executive of the Shiv Sena today passed a resolution authorizing Uddhav Thackeray to take action against "those who have betrayed the party", but refrained from taking immediate action against rebel leader Eknath Shinde.
The executive also passed a resolution that no other political outfit or faction can use the name Shiv Sena and the name of its founder, late Bal Thackeray, even as the Shinde faction, which is camping in Guwahati, said it has named itself as 'Shiv Sena (Balasaheb)'.
"The executive decided that Shiv Sena belongs to Bal Thackeray and is committed to taking forward his fierce ideology of Hindutva and Marathi pride. Shiv Sena will never deviate from this path," Raut told reporters.
"It passed a resolution, giving all powers to take action against those who have betrayed the party to Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray," he added.
Addressing party leaders during the meeting in the Shiv Sena Bhawan, Thackeray said, "Some people are asking me to say something but I've already said that they(rebel MLAs) can do whatever they want to do, I won't interfere in their matters. They can take their own decision, but no one should use Balasaheb Thackeray's name."
Reacting to this, rebel Shiv Sena MLA Deepak Kesarkar said the legislators who are camping in Guwahati will go out to court if their faction isn't given recognition.
"Recognition should be given to our faction, if it isn't given, we'll go to court & prove our existence & numbers. We've numbers, but we respect CM Uddhav Thackeray, we won't speak against him. We must follow the path on which we fought Assembly elections," said Kesarkar.
