New Delhi: Former Maharashtra chief minister and Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray on Friday said that had senior BJP leader and Union Home Minister Amit Shah kept his word about having a Sena leader as CM for 2.5 years, there would have been a BJP chief minister in the state now. "I had told Amit Shah earlier as well that there should be a Shiv Sena CM for 2.5 years (during Shiv Sena-BJP alliance). Had they done this earlier, there would've been no Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA)," Uddhav Thackeray said, as quoted by news agency ANI.
Training guns at newly sworn-in CM Eknath Shinde, the Sena chief remarked, "a so-called Shiv Sena worker has been made CM", adding that "This CM (Eknath Shinde) is not a Shiv Sena CM."
Addressing a press conference on Friday, Uddhav Thackeray said: 'Had Amit Shah kept his word given to me, there would have been a BJP chief minister in Maharashtra now', PTI reported.
He said the political upheaval in the state could have been prevented had BJP agreed to his demand. "The manner in which government has been formed and a so-called Shiv Sena worker has been made CM, I had said the same to Amit Shah. This could've been done respectfully. The Shiv Sena was officially with you (at that time). This CM (Eknath Shinde) is not a Shiv Sena CM," ANI quoted Thackeray as saying.
He shared his response to reports of CM Eknath Shinde's move to reverse the MVA government's decision on the contentious Metro car shed project in Mumbai.
Uddhav Thackeray remarked, "Don't project anger for me on Mumbaikars. Don't change the proposal for the metro shed. Don't toy with the environment of Mumbai."
The statement comes as Shinde, as per an NDTV report, instructed Advocate General Ashutosh Kumbhakoni to submit in court that the Colaba-Bandra-Seepz metro car shed will be constructed at Aarey Colony as scheduled in 2019 under the Devendra Fadnavis administration.
The controversy began in 2019 when the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation asked the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for permission to cut down trees at Aarey Colony, sparking a wave of massive protests led by environmental activists in Mumbai.
As per for the political upheaval in Maharashtra, the Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to stay the direction of the Governor to the MVA government to take a floor test in the Assembly on Thursday to prove its majority. Following this, the beleaguered chief minister Uddhav Thackeray quit office, paving way for Eknath Shinde to take over the top post.
Backed by the Bharatiya Janata Party, Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde on Thursday took oath as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra with the support of a breakaway faction of Shiv Sena MLAs and Independents. Former CM Devendra Fadnavis was sworn in as his deputy.
Shinde was camping in a Guwahati hotel along with rebel MLAs for more than a week after rebelling against Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena leadership. The BJP has claimed it has the support of 170 MLAs, including those from the Shinde faction, in a House of 288.
(With Agency Inputs)