Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
Credit: PTI File Photo
Mumbai: Balasaheb Thackeray’s Matoshree, which was a pavitra mandir, has now become a udas haveli, Maharashtra chief minister and Shiv Sena chief leader Eknath Shinde said lashing out at his predecessor and now Shiv Sena (UBT) head Uddhav Thackeray here on Saturday.
Matoshree is the bungalow of the Thackeray-family located in Kalanagar in the Bandra East area of Mumbai.
Addressing a grand convention of the Shiv Sena in Kolhapur, Shinde accused Thackeray of betraying people by not respecting the mandate of 2019 Vidhan Sabha elections.
For me, Shinde said, CM does not mean only “chief minister” but “common man”.
During his over one-hour-long speech, Shinde invoked Balasaheb and his mentor and firebrand leader late Anand Dighe.
“….you marry someone, go to honeymoon with someone else and then make family with someone else…,” he said referring to Thackeray parting ways with BJP and joining hands with Congress-NCP alliance to forge Maha Vikas Aghadi and fulfil the “silent dream” since 2004 of becoming the chief minister.
“In the process, he betrayed the people’s mandate, betrayed alliance partner BJP, betrayed prime minister Narendra Modi,” Shinde said in Kolhapur.
Shinde, however, did not name Thackeray, the son of Shiv Sena founder, who is now part of the I.N.D.I.A. opposition bloc.
“He not only made Modi once but twice,” he said, referring to Thackeray’s one-on-one meeting with the prime minister after he had an official meeting along with Ajit Pawar of NCP and Ashok Chavan, who had just left Congress to join the BJP.
“He diverted away from the principles and teachings of late Balasaheb. Matoshree was a pavitra mandir and has now become a udas haveli. At one point of time, you could have heard the tiger’s roar, now you hear cries, curses and abuses,” said Shinde, who heads the Maha Yuti government with BJP and Ajit Pawar-led NCP.
According to him, it's people who are his “tonic”. “For me, the relationship with people is not that of malik and naukar. We are all Shiv Sainiks and everyone is equal,” he said.
Referring to the Covid-19 pandemic, Shinde said: “…you worked through Facebook for two-and-a-half-years….I worked face-to-face with people and on the ground.”
"Till the last drop of my blood, I will continue to work for the people...this is my assurance," he said.