Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray has claimed that 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 deal between the Shiv Sena (undivided) and BJP .
While addressing a rally in Dharavi on April 20, Thackeray claimed that then BJP chief Amit Shah had come to 'Matoshree', the private residence of the Thackerays to discuss an alliance with the Sena.
“At that time, Fadnavis had to sit outside the room of late Bal Thackeray while the two leaders (Shah and Thackeray) discussed the modalities,” he alleged. “I was assured that the post of chief minister will be shared (between BJP and Sena – undivided) for 2.5 years,” he added.
“Later Devendra Fadnavis told me, Uddhav Ji, that 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 election career. Post nothing 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 ruling Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra consists of BJP, Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde and NCP led by Ajit Pawar. Regarding Thackeray's claim, Fadnavis said he had “gone mad”.
“Uddhav Thackeray has gone 'bhramishta' (frenzied). He is hallucinating. Initially he said that Amit Shah had promised him a prime ministership in a certain room. Now he says I promised to make his son a CM. To prove one untruth hide, another lie is told,” said Fadnavis.
However, he admitted that he had told Thackeray that Aaditya needed to be trained as he would eventually take control of the party (Shiv Sena) one day.
“Let alone making him (Aaditya) the chief minister, I wouldn't even make him a minister. He (Aaditya) later became a minister (when MVA was in power), putting the Shiv Sena (UBT) in its current situation today. Fadnavis said.
Thackeray went to He wrote, “We respect late Balasaheb Thackeray as he was always true to his word and never deviated from his ideals. We do not respect those who sacrificed the late leader's ideals.”
“The Hindu chief Shiv Sena was true to his words and never gave up. He followed every word given. He was narrow-minded, never thought about selfishness and never committed untruths all his life. Therefore, they are still beneficial to us.”
“Who are you deceiving by creating a fictional story every day? Not yours? The social cause of Maharashtra and the development of Maharashtra is not some Salim-Javed script. Even if you have no awareness of social causes and development, don't fall into the trap of creating such a script.”
Reacting to Uddhav Thackeray's claim, CM Eknath Shinde said there is a limit to speaking lies. While talking to reporters, Shinde said, “He (Uddhav) wanted to become the chief minister. Since he could not become CM when he was part of the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance, he switched sides.” Meanwhile, a Shinde-brokered split led to the collapse of the Thackeray-led MVA government in June 2022.
(With input from agencies)
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Published: Apr 21, 2024 2:37 PM IST