Shiv Sena MLA Sanjay Gaikwad on Wednesday claimed that there was conspiracy to eliminate CM Eknath Shinde when he was guardian minister of Gadchiroli in the MVA government and if he had not left Uddhav Thackeray, he might have not been alive today.
As Gadchiroli guardian minister, Shinde took a strong stand against Naxalites and they threatened to kill him. The government called a meeting at the then home minister Shambhuraj Desai’s bungalow and it was decided that Shinde be given Z+ and his family Z security,” Gaikwad said. “But then CM Thackeray told Desai not to give Z+ security to Shinde. What does it mean...Shinde be given to Naxalites to die?... This was a ploy to finish him.”Desai, who is with Shinde’s Sena, said when the file was sent to Thackeray for final nod, he did not take a decision. “I was told by Uddhavji that security can’t be increased,” he said. — Chaitanya Marpakwar. In June 2022, Shinde walked out of the Thackeray-led Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government to join hands with the BJP and become chief minister. Later, the Election Commission (EC) gave Shinde’s faction recognition as the “real” Shiv Sena with the party name and symbol. The Thackeray faction is now known as the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray).