Mumbai: Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday made a shocking claim saying he was offered the post of Chief Minister after the Eknath Shinde-led rebellion in Shiv Sena. In an interview with a Marathi news channel, Fadnavis said Uddhav Thackeray offered him the position after Shinde and some MLAs rebelled and fled to Surat in 2022.
"After Eknath Shinde's rebellion, Uddhav Thackeray called me and offered me the Chief Minister position. But by then, the opportunity had passed," Fadnavis said.
"When it became clear that we were going to form a government with Eknath Shinde, I received a morning call from Uddhav Thackeray. 'Devendra ji, why are you taking them (Shinde group) with you and giving them some posts? I will come with you with my entire party. You become the CM. We will fix all this,' Uddhav Thackeray told me," Fadnavis claimed. Fadnavis mentioned that Uddhav Thackeray's close aide, Milind Narvekar, called him first, and then Uddhav Thackeray spoke to him.
Recalling the alleged conversation, Fadnavis said, "I told him 'Uddhav Ji, the time has passed now. If you want to make any decision now, you can contact my senior leadership. But this issue has now ended on my level. I will not betray those who have supported us'. Whether he contacted the senior leadership after that, I am not aware," Fadnavis said.
Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had made similar claims a few days earlier. "After some of the MLAs went to Surat, chaos erupted in Shiv Sena. Uddhav Thackeray had called the central leadership of BJP saying 'Why are you taking them? We will come with you'." Shinde also claimed that he was offered the Chief Minister position by Uddhav Thackeray.
"When we were having tea at Vasai while going to Surat, I received a call from Uddhav Thackeray. He asked me to return and he would give me the Chief Minister position. But I told him that it was too late," Shinde said.