Mumbai: Amid the apparent rift between Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy CM Eknath Shinde, the former has found an unlikely supporter: the rival Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray).
The Shiv Sena (UBT) praised Fadnavis “for cleaning up government administration,” while slamming Shinde for being responsible for the supposed graft and rot that had set in. In an editorial in the party’s mouthpiece, Saamana, Shiv Sena (UBT) on Wednesday said Fadnavis has decided to cut the “crop of fixers and brokers” that had taken root after Shinde came to power in June 2022 at the helm of the Mahayuti government.
The Mahayuti comprises the Shinde-led Shiv Sena, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).
This is the second time since January this year that the Shiv Sena (UBT) has praised Fadnavis’s work through its mouthpiece. Last month, the party had hailed his vision of turning the Naxalism-hit Gadchiroli into a steel city.
Separately, further deepening the discord within the Mahayuti government, Amol Mitkari, an MLC from the Ajit Pawar-led NCP, in an interview with Marathi news channel ABP Majha the previous day made allegations of graft and harassment against the Officers on Special Duty (OSDs) of four leaders in the Shinde-led Shiv Sena.
Three of them—Tanaji Sawant, Sandipan Bhumre and Abdul Sattar—were former ministers, while one, Sanjay Rathod, is a sitting minister.
ThePrint reached Mitkari for comment via phone but he was not reachable.
Manisha Kayande, an MLC from the Shinde-led Shiv Sena, slammed the Saamana editorial saying the paper should be classified as a “comic product”.
“One day they criticise someone, the next day they praise the same person. They have severely criticised Fadnavis in the past, and now that the party is desperate it is praising Fadnavis,” she told ThePrint. On allegations by Mitkari, Kayande said, the leader should have spoken up when those in question were ministers. She also said that Mitkari has been facing complaints against him by his own party members, and should first look within.
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Sena (UBT)’s overtures confuse partners
Since the second Mahayuti government came to power last December, there has been much friction between Fadnavis and Shinde with the chief minister overturning a few decisions taken by his predecessor. The sticky issue of guardian ministerships for two districts, which Shinde had wanted for his party, also remains unresolved.
Last week, speaking at a party function, Shinde had without taking names warned other leaders to “not take him lightly”.
At the same time, the Shiv Sena (UBT)’s overtures have confused its partners.
A senior state Congress functionary, who did not wish to be named, told ThePrint there was a “trust deficit” with regards to the Shiv Sena (UBT). “The party is warming up to the BJP. There is a feeling it is keeping its options open,” he said.
Political commentator Hemant Desai said the Shiv Sena (UBT) is preparing for the Mumbai civic polls, and with that in mind, it has decided to make Shinde its main target.
“Earlier, the Shiv Sena (UBT) used to criticise Fadnavis as the brain behind Shinde. But now there are evident differences between Shinde and Fadnavis and there is an impression that Shinde is close to the BJP’s central leadership of Narendra Modi and Amit Shah,” Desai said.
“The Shiv Sena (UBT) is simply trying to take advantage of the rift between Shinde and Fadnavis, by talking against Shinde, a leader backed by BJP forces from Gujarat,” Desai said, adding that it helps the party strengthen its agenda of protecting Mumbai’s interests from Gujarat-based leaders. The Sena (UBT) has been constantly criticising the Modi-led Union government for taking away investments and opportunities from Mumbai to Gujarat.
What Saamana editorial says
In the Saamana editorial, the Shiv Sena (UBT) blamed Shinde for the alleged rot in the state’s politics and administration.
“There was financial indiscipline. Government agencies were being looted to raise the money to lure Shiv Sena’s loyal MLAs, MPs, corporators, functionaries,” said the editorial, penned by Saamana’s executive editor Sanjay Raut, a Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha MP.
It added that Fadnavis’s actions had caused economic challenges for the Shinde-led Shiv Sena. It also praised Fadnavis for taking away ministers’ rights to name their personal assistants and officers on special duty.
“Of the list of PAs and OSDs sent to Fadnavis by ministers’ offices, he outright rejected 16 names. Because these 16 people were brokering for ministers as OSDs. The CM’s stand that he will not entertain the appointment of fixers is apt. Of these 16, it is learnt that 12 were suggested by ministers from Shinde’s party,” the editorial said.
“Shinde came to power in Maharashtra through fixing. As a result, the crop of fixers and brokers flourished in the state. The current CM has decided to cut this crop. We congratulate him for this, but the task is not easy. Because the bearded insect sitting atop this crop is saying, ‘Don’t take me lightly’,” it added.
(Edited by Sugita Katyal)
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