New Delhi:
Uddhav Thackeray – the former chief minister of Maharashtra ousted by Eknath Shinde’s rebellion – wanted to rejoin the NDA last year, a leader of the rebel camp has claimed. At a press conference in Delhi this evening, which was also attended by Mr Shinde and party colleagues in Parliament, MP Rahul Shewale said in June last year, Mr Thackeray wanted to “rejoin” the NDA, but later backed out. Went.
He said that Shiv Sena has never officially left the NDA. “We are still part of NDA”. And last year,” Uddhavji had also agreed to forge an alliance with the BJP. But after 12 BJP MLAs were suspended, that plan didn’t work. When we suggested an alliance with the BJP, Uddhavji said ‘I’ve tried,’ so why don’t you try now?”
Mr Shinde, who insists that his faction is the “real army”, following the ideology of party founder Balasaheb Thackeray, remained non-committal about the patch-up with Mr Thackeray. “We are following in the footsteps of Balasaheb. Let us see who joins us in future,” said Mr. Shinde.
In yet another cryptic remark amid the tussle for control over the party, he said, “Eknath Shinde has not become the leader (Paksha Pramukh) of the party, Eknath Shinde has become the chief minister.”
Mr Shewale, an MP from Mumbai, has been given a leading role in the separate Shiv Sena group in Parliament which is allying with Mr Shinde. Yesterday, 12 MPs wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla informing them about the group.
The division in Parliament, which Mr. Thackeray was trying hard to avoid, came to the fore during Mr. Shinde’s visit to Delhi. Last week, Mr Thackeray, urged by his party’s MPs, changed his vote in the presidential race and favored NDA candidate Draupadi Murmu instead of his first choice, Yashwant Sinha of the opposition.
The Maha Vikas Aghadi government had seen a lot of turmoil last year, so much so that at one point there was talk that the BJP and Shiv Sena were coming back together. In June, Sharad Pawar, whose Nationalist Congress Party was part of the alliance, shrugged off differences, saying “when the government runs, it has to face some issues”.
Sources said a major objective of Mr Shinde’s visit is to discuss cabinet formation with the BJP leadership. The new chief minister took oath on June 30 along with BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis as deputy and they are the only two ministers in the state cabinet so far.