During a campaign rally for his party's Thane candidate Naresh Mhaske, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Monday claimed that Uddhav Thackeray had plans to break apart 25-30 MLAs of the Bharatiya Janata Party. Shinde also criticised the Shiv Sena (UBT)'s Thane candidate, Rajan Vichare, labeling him as a 'duplicate' disciple of Anand Dighe, who caused trouble for Dighe while he was alive.
"The government doesn't function through Facebook Live. Uddhav Thackeray aimed to hold the Chief Minister position for 5 years. 12 individuals were suspended to weaken the BJP's strength. There were plans to arrest 4-5 BJP leaders. Out of fear, Uddhav Thackeray had meticulously planned to break apart 25-30 BJP MLAs," Shinde alleged.
Continuing his allegations against Thackeray, Shinde stated, "During the Rajya Sabha and MLC elections, I was completely isolated. They not only schemed to arrest BJP leaders but also aimed to politically eliminate me. I was falsely implicated in a case."
Shinde also criticized UBT's Thane candidate Rajan Vichare, invoking the name of their mentor, Ananad Dighe.
"I never sought any position. Anand Dighe brought me forward. He supported me during difficult times. I still remember his words, 'you have to work for the people, for society.' I didn't even ask for the post of Leader of the House. When it was offered, Dighe called me. I wasn't mentally prepared, but Dighe insisted. I couldn't break his trust," Shinde recounted.
Referring to a recent movie about Anand Dighe's life, Shinde claimed that whatever is depicted about Rajan Vichare in the movie is untrue, and the real truth will be revealed in the sequel.
"The portrayal of Rajan Vichare in the movie is false. In the second movie, the truth will come out. Rajan Vichare was asked to resign but refused. He went to Raghunath More, who advised him against speaking out. More said Dighe's decision was made after careful consideration and under specific circumstances. Vichare argued with Dighe and was scolded in Anandashram. Vichare is a fake disciple of Dighe. We know who troubled Dighe. Vichare always worked against Dighe," claimed CM Shinde.