Hitting back at Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi’s ‘Mera baap gaddar hai’ remarks, Maharashtra chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Friday said that the UBT Sena had ‘abandoned’ the ideology of Balasaheb Thackeray and went ahead to ally with Congress and Sharad Pawar out of ‘greed’ for the post of chief minister.
On Wednesday, Chaturvedi compared Shrikant Shinde, son of CM Eknath Shinde, to a character from the 1975 film ‘Deewar,’ saying ‘my father is a traitor’ should be stamped on his forehead.
“The words used for me are applied to them. In 2019, they abandoned the ideology of Balasaheb Thackeray…They sold the ideology of their father. They committed a sin and the public will never forgive them…In 2019, they betrayed their friend and the people of Maharashtra. They betrayed the ideology of Balasaheb Thackeray. When we contested elections together, Shiv Sena and the BJP had the same ideology,” Maharashtra CM said.
He further added, “People believed that there would be an alliance government and that is why they voted. But out of greed for the CM post, they went ahead with Congress and Sharad Pawar. This is betrayal…I don’t use the kind of words they use. Balasaheb Thackeray and Anand Dighe didn’t teach me that. They have forgotten the ideology of Balasaheb Thackeray that why they talking this way.”
Also Read:Mani Shankar Aiyar is back! ‘Treat Pakistan with respect, it has atom bomb’ – WATCH
In response to personal attacks from Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders targeting his son Shrikant Shinde, the Maharashtra Chief Minister remarked that they have ‘lost their balamce’
“They have lost balance. They have lost their confidence. They have lost the ground beneath their feet. They see just Eknath Shinde day in and day out. They can’t even digest that I became the Chief Minister…People are with me and love me. But they can’t digest it. So, they speak nonsense every day. The level of accusations has lowered. This is not the culture of Maharashtra, Balasaheb Thackeray didn’t teach us that. They have sold the ideology of their father, so what can be expected of them? So, I don’t respond to their accusations. I answer accusations with my work. I keep working hard day and night,” he remarked.
Also Read:Lok Sabha elections | Jagan Mohan Reddy backs 4% quota for Muslims in Andhra Pradesh
Meanwhile, former Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam, who joined Shiv Sena after being expelled from Congress, criticized Priyanka Chaturvedi, stating that it was not Eknath Shinde but Uddhav Thackeray who betrayed Balasaheb Thackeray’s ideology.
Former Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam, now a member of Shiv Sena, slammed Priyanka Chaturvedi, asserting that it was not Eknath Shinde but Uddhav Thackeray who betrayed Balasaheb Thackeray’s ideology.
“The woman MP of Shiv Sena (UBT) has said that it should be written on the forehead of Maharashtra’s CM’s son that ‘mera baap gaddar hai’. I want to give her a reply that it’s Shiv Sena (UBT) which has betrayed, it’s Uddhav Thackeray who has betrayed. He has betrayed the BJP, the people and Balasaheb Thackeray… If you want ‘mera baap gaddar hai’ too be written on the forehead of Shrikant, then on the forehead of Aaditya Thackeray ‘mera baap maha gaddar hai’ should be written as they have betrayed in real,” Nirupam said.
Shrikant Shinde, the incumbent MP and Shiv Sena candidate from Kalyan Lok Sabha constituency. The seat is set for polling in the 5th phase on May 20. Eknath Shinde split from Shiv Sena in June 2022, leading to the downfall of the Maharashtra government led by party chief Uddhav Thackeray, and subsequently formed the government in alliance with Bharatiya Janata Party.