Don’t use Balasaheb’s name for sympathy: Eknath Shinde takes a dig at Uddhav Thackeray

Shinde said it was difficult for Shiv Sainiks to accept the alliance with the NCP and Congress

In a no holds barred attack on Uddhav Thackeray, Maharashtra Chief Minister and Shiv Sena Chief Leader Eknath Shinde on Sunday accused his predecessor of using late Balasaheb Thackeray’s name for gaining sympathy and creating a false narrative.

During his much-awaited rally, Shinde spoke for around an hour, however, did not take the name of Uddhav - and referred to him just as “you” and “former chief minister” - but lashed out at him.

“Yes…Balasaheb is your father…everyone knows that….but for Shiv Sainiks, he is ‘daivat’ (God)…don’t use Balasaheb’s name to gain sympathy,” Shinde said addressing a grand rally at Golibar Maidan at Khed in Ratnagiri district in the coastal Konkan belt of Maharashtra.

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Incidentally, exactly a fortnight ago, Uddhav had addressed a mammoth rally from the same spot.

“Yes…you are inheritor of property of Balasaheb but what we have is the ‘vichardhara’ (ideology) of Balasaheb,” said Shinde, who in mid-2022 toppled the government of Uddhav with the help of BJP replacing the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress Maha Vikas Aghadi dispensation.

On the October-November 2019 developments when Uddhav broke ties with BJP and became the MVA leader, Shinde said: “For love of the post of chief minister, you in just one minute changed the stance and compromised with the ideals of late Balasaheb.”

He said it was difficult for Shiv Sainiks to accept the alliance with the NCP and Congress.

“…they have just two words - ‘gaddar’ (traitor) and ‘khokhe’ (boxes)…we are not 'gaddar' (traitor) but the 'gaddari' happened in 2019 when you compromised with the ideals of Balasaheb….Eknath Shinde is not a gaddar but a ‘khuddar’ (man with self-respect),” he said hitting out at Uddhav and his son Aaditya.

Highlighting that Balasaheb’s loyalists were politically finished and party workers sidelined, he said: “How many cases you have…this Eknath Shinde has 109 cases against him….we have worked with people, we have taken Shiv Sena ahead.”

“Former Chief Minister Manohar Joshi, who raised Shiv Sena with Balasaheb was sidelined…people like (former Leader of Opposition) Ramdas Kadam was politically sidelined…why (Union MSME Minister) Narayan Rane was sidelined and why (MNS President) Raj (Thackeray) was sidelined…they tell us now,” he said.

He accused his predecessor of just “hum do, hamare do” and “maza kutumb, majhi jawabdari”.

“I meet people and solve their problems. I do not sit at home and run the state,” he said, adding that during the Covid-19 pandemic he has worked for people round-the-clock. “Is that a crime, is that betrayal,” asked.