Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena faction on Friday claimed that Uddhav Thackeray was planning to quit as CM after he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in June last year. According to reports, Deepak Kesarkar, a spokesperson of rebel Shiv Sena MLAs said that Thackeray's relation with PM Modi was more important for him than holding the post of Maharashtra Chief Minister.
"After Uddhav ji met Modi ji (in June last year), it was decided that he will quit (as CM) in the next 15 days because for him his relations (with PM) were more important (than holding post). But it was realised that he needed more time to convince his party workers," news agency PTI quoted Kesarkar as saying.
Soon after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Union minister Narayan Rane started dragging then cabinet minister Aditya Thackeray in actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death case, a lot of Shiv Sena leaders were 'pained' at attempts to 'malign' him, Kesarkar said, adding that this forced Uddhav to establish contact with PM Modi and started a line of communication.
Uddhav Thackeray met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 9, 2021 in New Delhi. It was said that both leaders discussed the Maratha reservation issue, pending Goods and Services Tax (GST) compensation to the state, and a proposed Mumbai Metro car shed. This was Thackeray second meeting with PM Modi after taking oath as Maharashtra CM in 2019.
After the meeting, a dozen BJP MLAs were suspended from the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly for a year in July 2021 over unruly behaviour which took a nosedive. The move resulted in halt in talks between Shiv Sena and the BJP, which was then in opposition. "The talks did not go further because of ego issues," Kesarkar said, PTI reported.
"All through the talks, Uddhav Thackeray kept Eknath Shinde, rebel Shiv Sena leader who is now the chief minister, updated," Kesarkar said.
Reacting to Kesarkar's claims, Thackeray camp of the Sena said that he has been making self-contradictory statements and sounds 'confused'. Sena spokesperson Manisha Kayande said, "he is revealing something new every day. He has been making self-contradictory statements and sounds confused"