Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray has claimed the then chief minister Devendra Fadnavis had told him in 2019 that he would groom his son Aaditya Thackeray as the next CM of Maharashtra as part of the power-sharing agreement between the Shiv Sena (undivided) and BJP.
While addressing a rally in Dharavi on April 20, Thackeray claimed that the then BJP chief Amit Shah had come to ‘Matoshree’, the private residence of the Thackerays to talk on alliance with the Sena.
“At that time, Fadnavis was made to sit outside the room of late Bal Thackeray while the two leaders (Shah and Thackeray) discussed modalities,” he claimed. “It was assured to me that the post of chief minister will be shared for 2.5 years (between BJP and Sena-undivided), he added.
“Later, Devendra Fadnavis told me, Uddhav Ji, I will groom Aaditya for 2.5 years. We can make him CM after 2.5 years. I told him (Fadnavis) that he (Aaditya) is just starting his electoral career. Do not put anything like this in his mind,” Thackeray said.
“When I asked Fadnavis how a senior leader like him would work under Aaditya, he (Fadnavis) said he would move to Delhi, the former CM added.
This claim by Thackeray has evoked a sharp reaction from Devendra Fadnavis. Fadnavis is currently the deputy CM of the state along with Ajit Pawar. The governing Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra is comprised of BJP, Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde and NCP led by Ajit Pawar. Regarding Thackeray’s claim, Fadnavis said that he had “lost his mind”.
“Uddhav Thackeray has become ‘bhramishta’ (delirious). He is hallucinating. Initially, he said Amit Shah promised him a chief ministership in some room. Now he says I promised to make his son a CM. To hide one falsehood, another lie is being told,” Fadnavis said.
He, however, admitted to having told Thackeray that Aaditya should be trained as he will eventually take control of the party (Shiv Sena) one day.
“Leave alone making him (Aaditya) a chief minister, I wouldn’t make him even a minister. He (Aaditya) became a minister later (when MVA was in power) which landed the Shiv Sena (UBT) in its current situation today,” Fadnavis said.
Taking to X, Thackeray slammed Fadnavis for his reference to “some room” during his talks with Shah and said the room of Bal Thackeray is like a temple. He wrote, “We respect the late Balasaheb Thackeray because he was always true to his word and never deviated from his ideals. We don’t respect those who sacrificed the ideals of the late leader.”
“The Hindu heartthrob Shiv Sena chief was true to his words and never backed down. He followed every word given. He was narrow-minded and never thought of selfishness and never committed falsehood throughout his life. That is why they are still salutary for us.”
“Who do you mislead by creating a fictional story every day? Not your own? Social cause of Maharashtra and development of Maharashtra is not some script of Salim-Javed. Even if you have no sense of social cause and development, don’t fall into the trap of creating such a script.”
Reacting on Uddhav Thackeray’s claim, CM Eknath Shinde said there is a limit to speaking lies. While speaking to reporters, Shinde said, “He (Uddhav) wanted to become chief minister. As he couldn’t become a CM when he was part of the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance, he switched sides.” Meanwhile, in June 2022, a split engineered by Shinde led to the collapse of the Thackeray-led MVA government.
(With inputs from agencies)
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Published: 21 Apr 2024, 02:37 PM IST