Devendra Fadnavis, Eknath Shinde at odds with each other, their discord has hit state’s progress: Sanjay Raut

Raut claimed that Shinde’s role in the Mahayuti government has come down significantly, especially after the alliance won the Maharashtra Assembly elections where the Mahayuti bagged 230 out of the 288 seats. Shinde had to make way for Fadnavis to take over as the Chief Minister as the BJP won 132 seats and was comfortably the leading party in the alliance.

”Shinde is often missing from crucial cabinet meetings, and when he does attend, he is noticeably late. On January 30, he arrived two-and-a-half-hours late for a District Planning Committee meeting at the World Trade Centre,” said Raut.

The Rajya Sabha MP said he recently met a Shinde Sena MLA on a flight and based on the conversations with the MLA, he said, ”Shinde is not ready to come out of the insult that was heaped on him. He is still mourning the loss of the CM’s chair. During his two-and-a-half-year tenure, Shinde and Fadnavis looked in different directions. Now Fadnavis is hitting back. Shinde has nothing left in his hands,” wrote Raut.

The Sena UBT leader said Union Home Minister Amit Shah had promised the CM’s post to Shinde before the elections but failed to keep his promise. ”The MLA said that Shinde was told that Assembly elections would be fought under his leadership and he would again be made the CM. The MLA said Shah had told Shinde to use money power. Shinde put a lot of money in the elections, but Shah did not keep his promise. Shinde now believes that he was cheated (by the BJP),” said Raut.

At a press conference in Mumbai on Sunday morning, Raut said,”After the elections, Shinde was given some ministerial positions and tossed away…Shinde’s body’s language shows that he is a completely shaken man. He is yet to recover from the shock of having been promised the CM’s chair and then denied.”

Highlighting the conflict between the BJP and Shiv Sena, Raut said, “BJP minister Ganesh Naik has announced plans to hold ‘janata durbars’ in Shinde’s Thane district. In response, Shinde’s supporters have threatened to organise a ‘janata durbar’ in Naik’s Palghar district. This reflects the ongoing infighting within the Mahayuti and underscores the government’s vulnerability.”

Raut said there are some Shinde Sena MLAs who want to return to the parent party but fear of actions of the central agencies prevents them from doing so. ”Shinde was no more a secure leader. Even the BJP was working against him. Some of his MLAs want to join BJP, some want to join our Sena but the fear of central agencies keeps them from doiong so,” he said.

While Raut wrote in the negative for Shinde, he was all praises for Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar. ”Ajit Pawar shares a good rapport with Fadnavis. He knows his boundaries. Ajit Pawar made a clever move by joining hands with the BJP…Now, Ajit Pawar is in a comfortable and at an advantageous position,” Raut told The Indian Express.

Both BJP and the Shiv Sena ridiculed Raut’s claim.

Shiv Sena spokesperson Sanjay Shirsat said, ”Saamana’s objective is to criticise or badmouth someone. It has no ethics and that’s why we don’t bother ourselves about what the paper writes.”

BJP minister Nilesh Rane said, “We also know what all black magic Uddhav Thackeray did to get back the Chief Ministerial chair….We will also reveal this to the people of Maharashtra.”