Sources saw this as a message that Uddhav Thackeray would rather lose power than give in to rebel leader Eknath Shinde’s demand that the party ditch the alliance, revive its tie-up with the BJP and government Maharashtra jointly.
Mumbai: Sanjay Raut, the spokesperson of the Shiv Sena, hinted in a tweet today that Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray was prepared to dissolve the parliament and cede control rather than make concessions in the face of a revolt inside his party.
“The political developments in Maharashtra are heading towards dismissal of Vidhan Sabha,” Sanjay Raut tweeted in Marathi.
महाराष्ट्रातील राजकीय घडामोडींचा प्रवास विधान सभा बरखास्तीचया दिशेने..
— Sanjay Raut (@rautsanjay61) June 22, 2022
According to sources, this is a sign that Uddhav Thackeray is unwilling to concede to the demands of renegade leader Eknath Shinde, who wants the party to break its alliance with the BJP and reestablish joint rule over Maharashtra.
Mr Raut had earlier downplayed the threat of the impending coup in his party, calling its prime planner Eknath Shinde a “close friend”. At the same time, he said: “Power is fleeting. Zyaada se zyaada kya hoga, satta jayegi. Satta waapas aayegi (What’s the worse that can happen? We’ll lose power. Power comes back).”
Mr Raut claimed he had spoken “for one hour” this morning with rebel leader Eknath Shinde, who claims to have enough MLAs with him to split the Shiv Sena.
“Eknath Shinde is a close friend. We have worked together for years and it is not easy to end such ties. We are in talks with him. I am in touch with the MLAs is Guwahati,” Mr Raut told reporters, insisting that all the rebels would return to Mumbai soon.
“Eknath Shinde is a true Shiv Sainik. Talk of Shiv Sena splitting is completely baseless.”
He denied that Mr Shinde had set any terms for the Sena.
“We had a positive chat. There is no bad blood between us. We share many secrets and we have the same bond with Uddhav Thackeray. The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) is with Uddhav-ji and we have also spoken to (NCP ally) Sharad Pawar,” Mr Raut said.
“The party’s pride is above all else. The BJP’s dreams of toppling the government will never come true,” he asserted.
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