New Delhi: As the Maharashtra political slugfest reached the Supreme Court, Maharashtra minister Aaditya Thackeray, the son of chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, on Monday called the Shinde camp "runaways, not rebels". "Those who betray... they never win. We are confident of and are getting a lot of love," said Aaditya Thackeray. When asked how confident is he that the MVA govt won't fall, the 32-year-old junior Thackeray said, "We are confident of winning. We have all love with us. Those who betray don't win. Those who run away don't win."
The minister also reacted to ED summoning Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut and said, "This is not politics, this has now become a circus."
The summons comes amid a political turmoil in Maharashtra, where more than 40 MLAs are camped out in Guwahati with dissident minister Eknath Shinde.
The investigating agency had attached immovable assets worth 11.15 crore to three persons in the redevelopment scam in April, including Raut's wife Varsha.
Another Shiv Sena minister, Uday Samant, reached Guwahati on Sunday and joined the rebel camp led by senior leader Eknath Shinde. The Maharashtra Cabinet Minister for Higher and Technical Education, who had gone incommunicado during the day, reached Guwahati from Surat, a report by news agency PTI said. According to sources, Samant came aboard a chartered flight and landed at Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International (LGBI) Airport with three others.
"It is his decision. But he will come before us someday, he will have to look us in the eye someday. Let's see," reacted Aaditya Thackeray on Samant joining the Eknath Shinde faction.
Meanwhile, The Supreme Court on Monday issued a notice to Deputy Speaker of Maharashtra Assembly, Secretary of Maharashtra State Legislative Assembly, and others on petitions filed by Eknath Shinde and 15 other rebel Shiv Sena MLAs against the disqualification notice served on them. A bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and JB Pardiwala also said no decision should be taken on their disqualification by the Maharashtra Assembly Deputy Speaker till July 11, PTI reported.
The top court was hearing petitions by Eknath Shinde and the rebel Sena MLAs challenging the disqualification notices issued by the Maharashtra Deputy Speaker to them and also the appointment of Ajay Choudhari as the Shiv Sena Legislature Party leader.
However, the Supreme Court refused to pass any interim order on a plea that there should not be any floor test in Maharashtra Legislative Assembly till July 11. "We can't pass order on floor test as that would create unnecessary complications. If anything illegal happens, you can always move this court," the court said.