Maharashtra Chief Minister and Shiv Sena Chief Leader Eknath Shinde on Sunday accused his predecessor of using late Balasaheb Thackeray’s name for gaining sympathy and creating a false narrative. During his much-awaited rally, Shinde spoke for around an hour, however, did not take the name of Uddhav - and referred to him just as “you” and “former chief minister” - but lashed out at him.
“Yes…Balasaheb is your father…everyone knows that….but for Shiv Sainiks, he is ‘daivat’ (God)…don’t use Balasaheb’s name to gain sympathy,” Shinde said addressing a grand rally at Golibar Maidan at Khed in Ratnagiri district in the coastal Konkan belt of Maharashtra. Yes…you are inheritor of property of Balasaheb but what we have is the ‘vichardhara’ (ideology) of Balasaheb,” said Shinde, who in mid-2022 toppled the government of Uddhav with the help of BJP replacing the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress Maha Vikas Aghadi dispensation. On the October-November 2019 developments when Uddhav broke ties with BJP and became the MVA leader, Shinde said: “For love of the post of chief minister, you in just one minute changed the stance and compromised with the ideals of late Balasaheb.”He said it was difficult for Shiv Sainiks to accept the alliance with the NCP and Congress.