The MLAs, who may want to return, were forced to stay back, Kailas Patil said. (File)
Bombay:
Shiv Sena MLA Kailas Patil, who had escaped from a car transporting rebel lawmakers to Surat, claimed on Thursday that some of those brought to the camp led by Maharashtra minister Eknath Shinde may have wanted to return but were forced to stay back. .
During a press conference in Mumbai, Mr Patil recalled walking several miles near the Maharashtra-Gujarat border, then being lifted on a two-wheeler and truck before entering the ‘Varsha’ official residence of the Chief Minister of Maharashtra in Mumbai. reached in the early morning. hour of Tuesday.
Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde is currently camping with some rebel MLAs in the Assam town of Guwahati, pushing the party-led government of Maharashtra into crisis.
Mr Patil said that after casting his vote in the Maharashtra Legislative Council polls on June 20 in Mumbai, he was called to Mr Shinde’s bungalow in neighboring Thane.
Osamanabad’s MLA said he was taken along with several others to the bungalow of the mayor of Thane, where their cars were changed before continuing.
“A person from his (Mr Shinde’s) staff was with me and we crossed Vasai-Virar (in the adjacent Palghar district). I don’t know much about the area, but when we passed by the road and the (Maharashtra- Gujarat) checkpoint, I realized I was being led in a different direction,” he said.
“When the cars stopped, the employee said there was a check going on at the post and told me to walk a bit. I opened the car door and saw that there was a huge traffic jam,” Patil said.
After getting out of the car, the MLA crossed the roadway and headed towards Mumbai, he said, recalling that he was also soaked from the rain at the time.
“I thought those people would come looking for me. I kept walking between trucks for about a kilometer. I asked a motorbike driver for a lift, but he refused. Later, another person helped me and left me at a hotel, three- four km from the checkpoint where I tried to get help from some truck drivers and private vehicles heading towards Mumbai,” he said.
Mr Patil said he then called the residence of Prime Minister Uddhav Thackeray and also a Sena MP and informed them that he was returning. His cell phone battery was low, so he couldn’t share his location with them, he said.
Later, a truck driver from Uttar Pradesh on his way to Mumbai accepted my request and gave me a lift to Dahisar toll booth (naka) (an entry point to Mumbai). Someone came to pick me up there,” he said.
Mr Patil noted that MLA Nitin Deshmukh also returned from Surat where he was taken along with some rebel MLAs.
“There may be some MLAs who want to return but are unable to return due to pressure or other issues,” he claimed.
“The Shiv Sena has made me a Zilla Parishad member and an MLA. My principles will not allow me to cheat the Shiv Sena. The others who were brought to Gujarat (from Mumbai) may feel the same way,” he said.
Mr Patil said he contacted Shiv Sena politician from Nanded Balaji Kalyankar after his return to Mumbai and the latter also had a talk with Chief Minister Thackeray. Kalyankar’s phone was later turned off, he added.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by DailyExpertNews staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.)
