More than a month after the Uddhav Thackeray government in Maharashtra was toppled, claims and counterclaims about the switching of sides and deliberations and discussions that took place weeks ago are still being made, While the state awaits a new cabinet, now an MLA of Team Eknath Shinde has said that Uddhav Thackeray was ready to rethink ties with the BJP.
“When I left for Assam (Guwahati after the June 21 revolt), I contacted one of those involved in these talks (between Thackeray and BJP). I sent him to meet Uddhav saheb. He was told that let’s forget what has happened and time is to come together. Even at that time, Uddhav saheb said ‘you (the BJP) dump Shinde and we are ready for an alliance’,” Deepak Kesarkar was quoted as saying by news agency PTI on Friday.
Kesarkar, however, added that the proposal was not acceptable to the MLAs. “This was not acceptable to the BJP or the MLAs. Because it would have been inappropriate. The rest is history,” he underlined.
The Shiv Sena MLAs – who had joined the Shinde rebellion – had traveled from Surat in Gujarat to Assam’s Guwahati, and then to Goa. Their strength grew, ultimately leading to the collapse of the Uddhav Thackeray government.
In his remarks, Kesarkar also reportedly urged Uddhav to give his blessings to successor Shinde because “the BJP and the Shiv Sena share similar ideologies”.
The comments come as the opposition in Maharashtra continues to criticise the Eknath Shinde-Devednra Fadnavis government in the state over the delay in cabinet expansion.
Shinde, however, has been underlining that the cabinet expansion would be carried out soon.