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Tag: Uddhav Thackeray

  • Maharashtra crisis: Pro-Thackeray rallies held in Shinde stronghold Thane-Palghar 

    By PTI

    THANE: A sizable number of Shiv Sena workers on Sunday bucked the trend seen over the past few days in Thane district, a bastion of rebel MLA Eknath Shinde, by taking out rallies in support of Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.

    Similar rallies, which were attended by hundreds of men and women workers carrying flags and shouting pro-Thackeray slogans, were also held in Vasai, Virar and some other parts of Palghar, also a stronghold of Shinde.

    ALSO READ: Rebel Shiv Sena MLA Eknath Shinde moves SC against disqualification notice 

    In Bhayander, one such meeting was addressed by leader Vinod Ghosalkar, though Thane Lok Sabha MP Rajan Vichare did not attend it.

    A pro-Shinde rally was taken out under the leadership of MLA Pratap Sarnaik, while in Thane city, those backing the rebellion burnt effigies of Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut, who has been vocally and continuously attacked Shinde.

    In Ambernath, posters were put up in several places berating MLA Balaji Kinnikar.

  • Maharashtra crisis: MVA government will last two to three days, says Union minister Danve

    By PTI

    JALNA: Union minister Raosaheb Danve on Sunday said the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi in Maharashtra, racked by the rebellion in main constituent Shiv Sena, will last “two to three days”.

    Speaking at the inaugural function of an agriculture department building here in the presence of state NCP minister Rajesh Tope, the BJP leader said the MVA should complete the remaining development works at the earliest as “we (BJP) will be in opposition only for two to three days”.

    “Time is running out. This government will last for two to three days. The BJP has nothing to do with this rebellion. Shiv Sena rebels have resentment towards Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray as development funds were diverted by NCP and Congress,” the Union Minister of State for Railway, Coal and Mines said.

    Queried on the possibility of the Eknath Shinde-led group merging with the BJP, Danve, himself a former state unit chief, said there was no such proposal and if one comes then the senior leadership would take a call.

    He also said there was no chance of President’s Rule being imposed in the state.

  • The Eknath Shinde story: Auto driver who shook Shiv Sena’s foundations

    Express News Service

    MUMBAI: The meteoric rise of rebel Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde rivals Bollywood’s film scripts. An auto-driver with humble beginnings, he went on to become the right hand man of party chief Uddhav Thackeray, and his nemesis. 

    Shinde is a four-time MLA and two-time minister. Skilled in organising people and events, Shinde’s spark was discovered and initially used by Sena’s Thane district president Nanad Dighe. That’s how auto-driver Shinde started driving Dighe’s car.

    He then became the eyes and ears of Dighe, who used to be known as the “king of Thane”. Closeness with Dighe helped him get elected as a corporator in the Thane Municipal Corporation. Subsequently, Shinde became an MLA and the rest is history. Over the time, he reportedly amassed huge wealth and clout in the party. In the Maha Vikas Aghadi government led by Uddhav Thackeray, Shinde was handling plum portfolios of urban development and state road transport. 

    In 2019, when Sena was bargaining with the BJP over sharing of power, Shinde was dreaming of deputy chief minister post. That dream was clipped when Uddhav Thackeray decided to form government with the help of NCP and Congress.

    Moreover, Uddhav’s son, Aaditya Thackeray, too, joined the cabinet and became Number 2 in the party, diminishing Shinde’s position in Sena further. Aaditya’s entry to Sena politics seems to have rattled the rebel leader most.

    ALSO READ| Maha mess: The BJP traps the Sena tiger

    The pandemic offered him a good opportunity to cobble up numbers in his favour. When Uddhav was undergoing spine surgery, Shinde made use of the communication gap between the CM and party MLA’s.

    He apparently exploited this to his favour by bringing several legislators on his side, resulting in the biggest revolt against Thackeray family in Sena’s history. Shinde has not only destabilised the alliance government but also shaken the foundations of the Sena.

  • BJP wants to finish off Shiv Sena as it does not want to share Hindu vote bank: Uddhav Thackeray

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: Striking a defiant note, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Friday night dared rebel leader Eknath Shinde and the BJP to try and take away the Shiv Sena cadre and those who vote for the party, and also accused the BJP of trying to finish off the Sena.

    In a virtual address to party corporators, he said that the common Shiv Sena workers were his “wealth”, and as long as they were with him, he did not care about criticism by others. The Shiv Sena has been “betrayed by its own people,” he said, as his government faced a crisis after majority of Sena MLAs joined Eknath Shinde who is camping in Guwahati.

    CLICK HERE FOR LIVE COVERAGE OF MAHARASHTRA CRISIS

    “We gave these rebels tickets to contest assembly elections despite many of you being aspirants for the same. These people are disgruntled after getting elected owing to your hard work, and you are standing by the party in this crucial time. I can’t thank you enough,” Thackeray, who is also the Shiv Sena president, told party workers.

    “I had told Eknath Shinde to look into complaints regarding alliance partners. He told me that legislators were pressurizing him that the Sena should join hands with the BJP. I told him to bring these MLAs to me, let’s discuss this. BJP treated us badly, didn’t honour promises. Many of the rebels have cases filed against them. So if they go with BJP, they will become clean, if they stayed with us, they will go to jail. Is this a sign of friendship?” Thackeray asked.

    “If a Shiv Sena worker is going to become a chief minister, you should go (with the BJP). But if you are, after all, going to become a deputy chief minister, you should have told me, I would have made you deputy chief minister,” he said, apparently referring to Shinde.

    ALSO READ| Eknath Shinde leaves Guwahati hotel in SUV, returns in cop’s private car

    If Sena workers felt that he was incapable of running the party, he was ready to resign as party president, Thackeray further said.

    “Shiv Sena is an ideology…BJP wants to finish it off because they don’t want to share the Hindu vote bank with anyone,” he said, adding that late Bal Thackeray had initiated the alliance with the BJP only to avoid a split in Hindutva votes.

    “The rebel group has no option but to join the BJP, and even if it succeeded in forming the government, it will not last long because many MLAs among them are not really happy. The rebels will not be able to win the next election,” Thackeray claimed.

    Hitting out at Shinde and BJP, he dared them to try and lure away the Shiv Sena’s voters. “You have taken away those who got elected. But if you have the courage, try and take away those who got you elected. Those who want to leave are free to go openly….I will create a new Shiv Sena,” he said.

  • Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray discusses COVID situation, mulls mask rule in Mumbai local trains

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Friday discussed the COVID-19 situation with senior government officials and explored the possibility of making face masks mandatory again in Mumbai suburban trains in view of the rising cases.

    An official statement issued by the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) said that Thackeray reviewed the prevailing COVID-19 situation in the state, which has been recording a steady rise in new infections, especially in Mumbai and some other big cities.

    The statement said that the chief minister, at a virtual meeting with senior bureaucrats, also discussed the possibility of making face masks mandatory for suburban train commuters. The mask mandate option was discussed as a measure to curb growing cases of the novel coronavirus infection in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), it said.

    Maharashtra withdrew its mandatory mask rule in early April and made it optional in view of a sharp drop in daily cases. “Coronavirus cases are on the rise in the state, chiefly in Mumbai, Thane, Pune, Raigad and Palghar districts. People should follow COVID-19-appropriate behaviour on their own,” the CM was quoted as saying in the statement.

    Maharashtra recorded 4,205 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, a day after breaching the 5,000-mark. Of the new cases, Mumbai alone reported 1,898 infections. The number of active cases has gone past 25,000, indicating a widening gap between new patients and those recovering from the infection.

  • I have left CM’s bungalow, not my determination, says Uddhav in second address

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: Shiv Sena president and Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Friday reached out to the functionaries of his party, which is currently battling a rebellion, and sought to allay fears surrounding the survival of his political outfit and the MVA government.

    The Sena has been witnessing the rebellion within the party after Eknath Shinde broke away and formed a rebel group with the support of several legislators.

    Shinde is currently camping with at least 38 rebel MLAs of the Sena and 10 independents in Guwahati. He has claimed that the faction led by him is the “real Shiv Sena”.

    In his virtual address to the party’s district unit chiefs and ‘sampark pramukhs’ assembled at the Shiv Sena Bhavan at Dadar in central Mumbai, CM Thackeray said he may have vacated the chief minister’s official residence, but his determination is intact.

    “Despite the rebellions that the party has faced earlier, it came to power twice. I may have left ‘Varsha’, the chief minister’s official residence, but not my determination,” he said.

    READ OUR FULL COVERAGE HERE

    Thackeray added that in the last two-and-a-half years, he battled the Covid 19 pandemic as well as his own ill-health, but opponents took advantage of this situation.

    Shiv Sena leader and minister Aaditya Thackeray was present at the Shiv Sena Bhavan during the chief minister’s address. In the wake of the revolt by Shinde, CM Thackeray had on Wednesday night vacated his official residence in south Mumbai and moved to family home in suburban Bandra.

  • Maharashtra political crisis: MLAs in Eknath Shinde camp likely to cross 50 today

    By ANI

    GUWAHATI: Eknath Shinde is appearing to be holding a tight grip on the Shiv Sena, as the strength of MLAs supporting him is expected to cross 50 as more legislators are likely to reach Guwahati on Friday thus further deepening the political crisis in Maharashtra.

    It seems that the legacy of Bal Thackeray, who founded Shiv Sena, has slipped from the hands of Uddhav Thackeray with the rebellion of Eknath Shinde as he claim of being a true Shivsainik, the battle of who holds the true legacy of Balasaheb has started.

    The political crisis in Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in Maharashtra erupted after party legislators joined a rebellion led by Eknath Shinde who is staying at a hotel in Guwahati. Shinde camp has claimed the support of 46 MLAs, which includes 37 Shiv Sena MLAs and nine independents. The rebel MLAs who are at a hotel in Guwahati since June 20, authorised Shinde on June 23 to decide on a further course of action.

    Shiv Sena MLA Sanjay Shirsat claimed that both Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) are trying to eliminate Shiv Sena politically from Maharashtra and the MLAs made countless attempts to inform Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray about the malafide intentions of alliance partners.

    ALSO READ | Maharashtra political crisis: Shinde claims 37 MLAs’ support; Pawar says prove it on floor of House

    Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut even urged rebel MLAs to return to Mumbai and discuss their issues with Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.

    Raut also claimed that the Shiv Sena is ready to “consider exiting out of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) if this is the will of all the MLAs” but with a condition that the rebel MLAs will have to convey the message directly to CM Uddhav Thackeray and discuss the issues with him.

    Meanwhile, the Shiv Sena faction led by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has filed a petition before the Deputy Speaker of the state assembly seeking the cancellation of membership of 12 rebel MLAs including Eknath Shinde for “not attending” the legislative party meeting held on Wednesday.

    Apart from Shinde, Shiv Sena has sought disqualification of Prakash Surve, Tanaji Sawant, Mahesh Shinde, Abdul Sattar, Sandeep Bhumare, Bharat Gogawale, Sanjay Shirsat, Yamini Yadhav, Anil Babar, Balaji Devdas and Lata Chaudhari.

    ALSO READ | Fate of Aghadi government will be decided in assembly, says NCP chief

    However, the Shinde camp has written to Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari stating that Shinde continues to be the legislative party leader. Shinde also wrote to the Deputy Speaker of the Maharashtra Assembly regarding the reaffirmation of his appointment as the leader of the Shiv Sena Legislature Party.Amid the continuing turf war within Shiv Sena, the Shinde faction also said that Bharat Gogawale has been appointed as Chief Whip of the party.

    The letter has the signatures of 37 Shiv Sena MLAs and a copy of the letter has been sent to Deputy Speaker Narhari Zirwal, Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari, and Secretary to the Legislative Council Rajendra Bhagwat.

    The three legislators who arrived in Guwahati on Thursday include Agriculture Minister Dada Bhuse, MLA Sanjay Rathore and MLC Ravindra Phatak.

    Phatak is believed to be a close associate of Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray who had sent him as an emissary to Surat where the rebel MLAs were lodged.

    The situation for Thackeray continues to become grimmer with his close aide switching sides and the chief minister himself falling short of numbers.

    ALSO READ | Maharashtra political crisis and Governor’s crucial role

    Meanwhile, Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge held the central government led by the BJP responsible for the ongoing political crisis in Maharashtra where around 40 Shiv Sena MLAs have revolted against the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government and are currently camping in Guwahati.

    Kharge alleged that the BJP-led Centre is attempting to “destabilise” the “strong” Maha Vikas Aghadi government in view of the forthcoming presidential poll next month as they need numbers to get their presidential candidate Droupadi Murmu victorious in the poll slated to be held on July 18.

    Shinde also made a veiled reference to BJP and said “a big national party” has told him that his decision was “historic” and they will be present whenever he needs them.

    However, BJP had said the Maharashtra crisis is Shiv Sena’s internal matter and the party has nothing to do with it.

    Nationalist Congress Party leader Jayant Patil had said his party is “firmly standing with Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray”.

  • Shinde has 37; Pawar says prove it on floor of House

    Express News Service

    MUMBAI:  With rebel Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde showcasing the support of 37 party MLAs in a group photo-op at a Guwahati hotel on Thursday, he appeared to have the numbers to escape the anti-defection law. Also seen in the group photo were nine Independent MLAs.

    But NCP chief Sharad Pawar rallied around beleaguered Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, saying numerical strength can only be proved in a trust vote on the floor of the Assembly. He blamed the BJP for engineering it, citing Shinde’s claim that it had assured all support.

    With the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi coalition making hectic efforts to draw the rebels back home, Sena leader Sanjay Raut sought to dangle a carrot by claiming the party was prepared to concede their demand to step out the alliance if all of them return within 24 hours and meet Uddhav. 

    Parallelly, the Sena was said to have asked the Deputy Speaker to take action against those MLAs who did not attend the legislature party meeting. For their part, the rebels said, “we do not want a change in party president; we want the unatural Aghadi alliance to go and a new a government with the BJP for various reasons. (a) We want harassment by central enforcement agencies to stop. (b) NCP is our real political opponent on the ground. Whenever fresh Assembly elections are held, NCP and Congress cannot be expected to transfer votes to Shiv Sena because they have been our traditional foes. However, when BJP was the ally, the transfer of votes was smooth. (c) BJP is a big party, so keeping it in good humour is smart politics.” 

    But Raut said those afraid of CBI, ED or income tax raids are not hardcore Shiv Sainiks. As for Shinde, his support group appears to be swelling. When he had initially shepharded them to Surat, his MLA count was 20. It went up to 22 by the time he flew out of Surat to Guwahati, where more joined in. On Thursday, four other Sena MLAs entered his camp, taking his score to 37. 

    Twists and turns

    Sanjay Raut claims Sena open to considering quitting Aghadi if rebels return in 24 hours
    NCP, Cong downplay Raut’s remark, vow to support Uddhav govt
    Pawar blames BJP for the crisis
    But Dy CM Ajit Pawar says he does not see any BJP role in the rebellion

  • Maharashtra political crisis: Rebel leader Eknath Shinde turns down Uddhav Thackeray’s CM post offer

    Express News Service

    MUMBAI: Estranged Shiv Sena minister Eknath Shinde turned down Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray’s offer to become the chief minister in the latter’s place. Sources said that Uddhav-led Maha Vikas Aghadi decided to play the resort by doing so.

    NCP chief Sharad Pawar met Uddhav on Wednesday evening with NCP state president Jayant Patil, NCP MP Supriya Sule and state housing minister Jitendra Ahwad at Varsha bungalow.  In the meeting, it was decided that since the chief minister’s post comes in Shiv Sena’s quota, Shinde can be offered the post of chief minister while Uddhav remains as party president.

    CLICK HERE FOR LIVE COVERAGE OF MAHARASHTRA’S POLITICAL CRISIS

    Shinde said that he has taken this decision for the larger interest of the party and that there is no compromise with Hindutva ideology. “I am a true follower of Balasaheb Thackeray and his Hindutva ideology.,’  he said.

    Meanwhile, Uddhav met all people who work at chief minister’s official residence ‘Varsha’ and told them to take care. before leaving for his family home ‘Matoshree’ in Mumbai’s Kalanagar.

  • Delhi BJP leader files plaint against Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray for ‘violating COVID rules’

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: A BJP leader from Delhi filed a complaint against Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray for allegedly violating COVID-19 related protocols by meeting his supporters while heading to his personal residence from his official house in the state capital on Wednesday night, police said.

    Thackeray, who tested positive for the infection on Wednesday, moved out of ‘Varsha’, his official residence in south Mumbai, to ‘Matoshree’ his family home in suburban Bandra, at night – hours after offering to quit the top post amid rebellion by Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde.

    Party workers could be seen raising slogans and showering petals on the chief minister as he left his official house along with his family members – wife Rashmi Thackeray, sons Aaditya and Tejas Thackeray at around 9:50 pm. He reached outside ‘Matoshree’ around 10:30 pm.

    On the way, Thackeray, who was wearing a face mask, could be seen stepping out of his car at Worli, the constituency of his son and Tourism minister Aaditya Thackeray, and near Matoshree and waiving at the party workers. “Delhi BJP spokesperson Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga submitted an online complaint against Thackeray to Malabar Hill police,” the official said.

    The complaint was made available on Twitter and circulated on social media groups. It was retweeted by Bagga himself. The complaint said that as per the news, CM Thackeray has tested positive for COVID-19 and according to the protocols, such a patient cannot meet anyone and should remain in isolation.

    But Thackeray was seen meeting his supporters and thereby violating the COVID-19 protocol. The visuals about it were shown on TV channels, the complaint said, and requested the police to file an FIR against Thackeray.

    The Shiv Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government is battling a survival crisis following the rebellion of senior Sena minister Eknath Shinde and a sizable number of MLAs belonging to the Uddhav Thackeray-led party.

    Shinde and the party rebels, who are currently camping in Guwahati, has said he has 46 MLAs supporting him.