Once Shinde wanted to join Congress: reveals MP Khaire

Aurangabad, Sept 29:

Former MP of Shiv Sena Chandrakant Khaire said that Sena rebel group’s head and Chief Minister Eknath Shinde once wanted to join Congress along with 10 to 15 MLAs. This was revealed by Chandrakant Khaire while talking to newsmen on Thursday.

His revelation has created turmoil in the political circle. There was a vertical split in Sena. One faction of MLAs was led by CM Eknath Shinde while former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray is heading another group. The leaders of both groups are making accusations against each other frequently since then.

Shinde group leaders are claiming that they had left Sena because it had established a Government in the State by forming an alliance with Congress and NCP which have an opposite ideology. They are also making an allegation that Sena had cheated the public through the alliance with these two parties.

Against the backdrop of this, Khaire said that Eknath Shinde was to join Congress along with 10 to 15 MLAs. He claimed that Shinde group MLA Sanjay Shirsat had informed him of this when he (Shirsath) was in Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena.

“Shinde had met the then Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan. He had gone to meet Congress leader Ahmed Patel on the advice of Chavan. I got this information at that time. However, the meeting between the two leaders did not take place and the decision of joining Congress was cancelled,” he said.

The Sena leader questioned why Shinde who enjoyed the minister’s post in Uddhav Thackeray’s cabinet for two and half years did not resign because of Sena’s alliance with Congress and NCP.

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Ramdas Kadam was to join NCP

“Former minister Ramdas Kadam was to join NCP. When the Sena chief learnt about it, he convinced him not to leave the party. He was the post of opposition leader,” Khaire claimed