Eknath Shinde says his Delhi visits bother Opposition, not Mahayuti allies

Repudiating claims that his frequent trips to Delhi were causing disquiet in the ruling Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra, the state’s deputy chief minister, Eknath Shinde, has said it was rather making the Opposition parties uncomfortable.

Speaking in a video interview to PTI recently, the Shiv Sena leader said he had to visit the national capital often to resolve issues related to the state’s development, meet party MPs during parliamentary sessions and Sena leaders from other states.

Also read | He changed colours like chameleon: Shinde attacks Uddhav Thackeray over 2019 'betrayal'

You (Shiv Sena-UBT) come to Delhi in your quest for power, we come here to pursue public welfare measures and bring development to Maharashtra. We are proud of it

The former Maharashtra chief minister ruled out any concern about the BJP-led alliance and instead targeted the Opposition, saying they were “at great discomfort” with his visits to Delhi.

Opposition questions Shinde's trips

The Opposition parties, which include the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Congress, have often spoken about Shinde’s frequent visits to Delhi, claiming tensions were brewing between him and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

“Is it wrong to meet people who fulfilled the dreams of Balasaheb Thackeray by removing Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir or by building the Ram Temple in Ayodhya?” asked Shinde, in an apparent dig at his rivals. He said he was a little bothered about what the Opposition felt about his Delhi visits.

“They are free to think whatever they want. I do not come here without any work,” he said in the interview.

Maharashtra politics witnessed a major change of course in 2022 when Shinde, then belonging to the undivided Shiv Sena led by Uddhav Thackeray, walked out with more than two-thirds of the party’s MLAs and MPs. It resulted in the collapse of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, comprising the original Sena, Congress and NCP.

Shinde, who then emerged as the chief minister with the BJP’s support, had accused Uddhav of abandoning the Hindutva that was espoused by Balasaheb Thackeray, his father and founder of the Sena.

The rebel leader later earned the tag of the ‘real’ Sena from the Election Commission following a tug-of-war with the Uddhav faction.

Slams those who 'insulted' Sena founder

The deputy CM, who met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah last week, said it was easy for the Shiv Sena (UBT) to make remarks about him, but it should realise that it joined hands with those who insulted the late Balasaheb by disenfranchising him for six years. He was indirectly targeting the Congress party.

“The same Chief Election Commissioner (MS Gill) who took away Balasaheb’s right to vote was rewarded by Congress by making him a minister in the UPA government,” Shinde said.

Also read | Maharashtra: All files to CM Fadnavis to be vetted by Shinde

“You (Shiv Sena-UBT) come to Delhi in your quest for power, we come here to pursue public welfare measures and bring development to Maharashtra. We are proud of it,” Shinde added.

In March, Fadnavis too dismissed speculation that there were problems in the Mahayuti alliance and said all the allies were working in unison.

(With agency inputs)