A day after Uddhav Thackeray compared rebel party leaders to "rotten leaves" of a tree, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who revolted against the party chief last month, wished the Shiv Sena chief on his birthday. Last month, Shinde along with 39 other Shiv Sena MLAs and 10 independents revolted against the party leadership, leading to the collapse of the Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government.
"Happy Birthday to Hon'ble Shri Uddhavji Thackeray, Former Chief Minister of Maharashtra. May he have a long and healthy life, I pray at the feet of Mother Jagdamba....," he wrote in Marathi.
The Thackeray-led Sena and the Shinde group are locked in a legal battle over pleas seeking disqualification of 16 rebel legislators and also over claim for the party's symbol with the Election Commission of India.
In his first interview with Sena's mouthpiece 'Saamana' after stepping down as the chief minister last month, Thackeray said it was a mistake that he trusted some of the party leaders too much. Thackeray was interviewed by Saamana executive editor and Shiv Sena's Rajya Sabha MP, Sanjay Raut, in a studio.
Without naming Sena rebel and Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde, Thackeray said that some people are comparing themselves with Balasaheb Thackeray, which shows "monstrous ambition and greed (for power)".
"These rebels are like rotten leaves of a tree and should be shed. It is good for the tree as there will be new leaves,” Thackeray said.
Reacting to the claim of rebel leaders that they represent the real Shiv Sena, Thackeray said that let there be elections and see whom people chose. "The people we will either vote for us or support them. It will be clear once and for all,” the former CM said. Asked who could be blamed for the rebellion, he said, “Looks like I put too much trust in some Sena workers and leaders. It is my mistake to have trusted them for such a long time."
"The BJP is not only trying to break the Shiv Sena but also trying to appropriate great leaders of other parties," Thackeray alleged. "The way they tried to appropriate Sardar Patel from the Congress, they are doing the same thing with my late father, Balasaheb Thackeray, who founded the Shiv Sena,” he claimed.
