‘You will be turned into garbage’, Eknath Shinde warns Uddhav Thackeray

Referring to Thackeray’s call to Modi to visit violence-affected Manipur, Shinde said Modi even dared to conduct a surgical strike in Pakistan. “You couldn’t travel from Varsha to Mantralaya,” he said.

In his hour-long speech, which revolved around Thackeray, Shinde reiterated that his rebellion was to honour the voters’ mandate. “The next Lok Sabha, Assembly or local body polls will be fought by the alliance of Shiv Sena and the BJP,” he said.

“Yesterday, he (Thackeray) called those coming to us garbage. Just because they left you, you are calling them garbage. Remember that you will be turned into garbage,” he said.

Referring to the name-calling by Thackeray supporters who have labelled Shinde and his team as “traitors”, the CM said that it is Thackeray who is the real traitor. “You were the real traitor for the sake of power, chair. You are a traitor of Balasaheb’s ideology. You can accuse us of anything but you won’t get any sympathy. Those who betrayed voters, won’t get sympathy. Our election was with BJP but you formed a government with the Congress and the NCP. We will ensure that you turn into garbage,” Shinde said.

“You are disrespecting us. Balasaheb raised this party by taking long autowallahs, paanwallahs… But you are forgetting that this auto is of common citizens that puts your Mercedes off road. Don’t try to mess with it,” Shinde said. Taking a dig at Thackeray accusing him of not working during his tenure as CM, Shinde said that he carries two pens. “I sign on files even during my travels, in the car, in Varsha or in Sahyadri. You never carried even a single pen,” said Shinde.

Earlier, Lok Sabha MP Gajanan Kirtikar said that the event was special as it is celebrated in the presence of ground workers of the party. “Last year on this day, I was sitting with Eknath Shinde and had no idea that he was planning a much-needed rebellion. That government (MVA government) was headed by Thackeray but it was run by Pawar. The ground worker faced injustice in every sense,” said Kirtikar.

State’s Water Supply Minister Gulabrao Patil said that this foundation day is to make a promise that Sena workers will build the organisation to face the upcoming elections. “We want to tell Eknath Shindeji that he should take care of the state, while we will manage local politics,” said Patil.

The entrance to the event was filled with congratulatory posters dedicated to CM Eknath Shinde for being the face of the Shiv Sena that was truly embodying the values laid by its supremo.