Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde Saturday lashed out at Uddhav Thackery for sharing a stage - with leaders who “opposed Hindutva” - at the Opposition meeting that took place on Friday (June 23). Uddhav Thackeray shared the stage with various opposition leaders including PDP chief Mehboob Mufti, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, and others at a meeting convened by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar at his residence to chalk out a strategy to defeat the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
"'Dilo ka Gatbandhan' with those who opposed Ram temple, (scrapping of) Article 370, and the ideology of Balasaheb Thackeray? I think we were right and we made the right decision last year," Shinde said.He was referring to the rebellion led by him along with 39 MLAs last year against Thackeray which led to the downfall of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra.Shinde said that the coming together of 15 parties is a testimony to the victory of prime minister Narendra Modi.When asked about the ED raids at the places of Shiv Sena (UBT) secretary Suraj Chavan and others in connection with the Covid hospital contracts case, the chief minister dismissed political vendetta."No action is taken as revenge. The Enforcement Directorate is taking action, not the state government. The case involves Rs 1,200 crore and this money belongs to the common people. There should be clarity in this issue," he said.Shinde said the Shiv Sena-BJP government is completing a year in office and the cabinet will be expanded soon