Surat: Amid political turmoil in Maharashtra, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray’s emissaries were successful in establishing contact between Thackeray and dissident Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde, but sources said Shinde was unmoved and had some tough questions for Thackeray.
Thackeray on Tuesday afternoon deputed two leaders — Milind Narvekar and Ravindra Phatak to drive to Surat and have a one-on-one meeting with Eknath Shinde. Sources said that after almost one-and-a-half hour close door meeting, Milind left for Mumbai. Before leaving his statement was, “Eknath Shinde had telephonic conversation with Uddhav Thackeray.”
But sources close to the development said, Eknath Shinde was unmoved even after the meeting with Navrekar and Phatak, on the contrary he put some tough questions to them.
Shinde put question to the emissary, “Even when I am still an MLA and a minister in the cabinet, how can the Chief Minister remove me as legislative party leader?”
It said that he also conveyed to Thackeray that he should mind his business and Eknath will mind his own. Shinde confidently conveyed that he has numbers with him and does not need to worry about others.
After Phatak and Narvekar reached Surat, they were stopped by the police near the hotel Le Meridien where dissident MLAs have checked in since Monday night. Only after Eknath agreed to meet, they were allowed to enter the hotel.
Number of dissidents increasing
Navrekar, however, did not say whether they were allowed to meet any other Shiv Sena MLAs who are also holed up in the hotel.
Sources from Surat said, the number of dissident MLAs is increasing and by the evening two more MLAs including a female one has reached the hotel. Earlier, only 30 rooms were booked in the hotel, now 20 more have been booked.
Earlier, Shiv Sena removed Shinde as its Legislative party leader and Sewri MLA Ajay Chaudhary was to be the new Shiv Sena Legislative party leader, sources said.
According to sources, a day after suspected cross-voting in Maharashtra MLC polls, Shinde was earlier inaccessible to several party MLAs. Sources said the MLAs moved to a hotel in Surat in Gujarat.
Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut also confirmed the developments and said, “Some MLAs of Shiv Sena and Eknath Shinde are currently not reachable. Efforts are being made to topple the MVA government but BJP has to remember that Maharashtra is very different from Rajasthan or Madhya Pradesh.”
Shinde is influential in the Shiv Sena and has been instrumental in strengthening the organisation in the Thane region.
Shinde was made the Leader of the Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly in 2014 after the Shiv Sena parted ways with the BJP. He was appointed as a cabinet minister in the MVA government.
However, sources said Shinde has been feeling sidelined since the formation of the MVA government. His son Shrikant Shinde represents the Kalyan Lok Sabha seat.
As survival threat loomed over the government after the rebellion of 21 Shiv Sena MLAs led by Eknath, all eyes are now on NCP supremo Sharad Pawar to intervene in the biggest political crisis the Uddhav Thackeray government has faced so far.
As BJP’s surgical strike on Shiv Sena rattled the leadership of three parties — the Congress, the NCP and the Shiv Sena, the Congress has rushed its state in-charge H.K. Patil and Pawar is also reaching Mumbai to save the government.
While Congress has maintained that its flock is together, sign of bickerings is evident in the MLC polls as Congress’ second candidate lost to BJP and in Rajya Sabha polls too, BJP managed to get through. However, the Congress is confident that Sharad Pawar will save the government who is key to the MVA.
But BJP has surprised all the leaders as the MLAs opposed to Uddhav Thackarey moved to Surat. This could be Madhya Pradesh type operation, said a Congress leader while anticipating a fall of the government.
Sharad Pawar said on Tuesday that it was never conveyed that Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde had chief ministerial ambitions, adding that a solution to the ongoing political crisis in Maharashtra would be found out soon.
“Shinde never conveyed (to us) that he wanted to be the Chief Minister (of Maharashtra). The Chief Minister’s post is Shiv Sena’s and this is an internal issue of that party,” Pawar told mediapersons ahead of the opposition meeting to finalise a consensus candidate for the Presidential poll.
“We will soon find a way out of this situation. The CM’s post is Shiv Sena’s, Deputy CM’s is NCP’s. Whatever Shiv Sena will decide, we are with them,” he said.
The BJP is also wary of poaching of its MLAs. It is flying all its 106 MLAs to Gujarat, to be housed in a resort near Ahmedabad.
