The Shiv Sena (UBT) on Thursday expressed displeasure over NCP chief Sharad Pawar’s visit to Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s office the previous day, with MP Sanjay Raut saying the move had “hurt” the party.
Raut clarified that the Shiv Sena (UBT) has no doubt about Pawar’s ideology or political commitment. “We have no doubt about Sharad Pawar’s ideology, but by visiting Deputy Prime Minister Eknath Shinde’s office, Sharad Pawar gave honor and prestige to traitors. This has hurt us,” he said.
“If you are honoring traitors, you have no right to speak against the NCP leaders who left the party under the leadership of Ajit Pawar,” Raut added.
Raut also questioned why the meeting was held at the Deputy Chief Minister’s office and why Pawar met Shinde. “What is the need to visit Shinde’s office? Who is Shinde? Is it YP Chavan or Vasantdada Patel? Or is it Vilasrao Deshmukh?” Raut asked.
These statements came amid continuing political tensions within the opposition alliance over its relationship with leaders of the ruling Mahuti government.
Amid speculation about the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena’s attempts to engineer defections from the Maha Vikas Aghadi, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray held a meeting of all party legislators at his residence in Bandra on Tuesday evening.
