Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Friday fired a “do not take me lightly” warning, ostensibly in response to death threats but in remarks that come amid reports of a rift between the Shiv Sena leader and his ally, the Bharatiya Janata Party that leads the state government.
Asked about the threat – police received emails warning of bombs in Mr Shinde’s car – he declared himself unafraid. “Threats came before too… attempts were made too, but I am not afraid.”
It was his next set of comments that raised eyebrows.
“Do not take me lightly… I have already said this to those who took me lightly. I am a normal party worker… but I am also a worker of Balasaheb (Thackeray, the Shiv Sena’s founder), and everyone should take me with this understanding,” Mr Shinde – whose 2022 rebellion split the Shiv Sena and brought down Uddhav Thackeray’s Congress, NCP-backed government) – said.
And Mr Shinde then referred to his role in bringing the BJP back to power, saying, “… in 2022 I changed the government (and) in my first speech in the Vidhan Sabha (ahead of the 2024 election) I said Fadnavis would get over 200 seats… and we got 232. That is why I say, do not take me lightly.”
The warning, Mr Shinde said, was for “those who want to understand this hint”.
Mahayuti Alliance Wobbling?
Reports of friction between Mr Shinde and the BJP have been a big headline coming out of Maharashtra this week, with reduced security cover for Sena MLAs another flashpoint.
Sources told NDTV 55 lawmakers from Mr Shinde’s Sena faction had been allotted Y-security cover, as too did party officers and aides. Protective detail for all was downgraded, or withdrawn, this week, prompting mutterings of discontent from the Shinde Sena camp.
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The state government said this was after an independent panel reviewed potential security threats in each case, and that there had been no political intervention.
But Mr Shinde – who sources said remains unhappy over being told to step down as Chief Minister in favour of the BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis, despite a key role in last year’s election win – was not pleased.
There is also friction, it is understood, over a raft of appointments, including ‘guardian ministers’ for the Raigad and Nashik (a significant post, since it will hold the next Kumbh Mela, in 2027) districts and Mr Shinde being excluded from the State Disaster Management Authority. He was later included.
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Also, Mr Shinde’s absence from three government programmes this month have added to rumours all is not well in the Mahayuti camp, especially since each was headlined by Mr Fadnavis.
‘No Cold War’
On paper, neither the BJP nor Mr Shinde has entertained talk of a breakup.
The BJP’s Ashish Shelar has insisted Eknath Shinde did not resent having to give up the Chief Minister’s post, while the Sena boss has declared “there is absolutely no ‘cold war’.”
The Shinde Sena, the BJP, and the NCP faction led by Ajit Pawar recorded an easy win in the November election. The BJP won 132 seats, the Shinde Sena 57, and the Pawar NCP 41.
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That, as it turned out, was the easy part. The naming of a Chief Minister took nearly two weeks of negotiations and backroom deal-making. Eventually, Mr Shinde, it appeared, was cornered into surrendering ambitions of a second term after Ajit Pawar backed the BJP, giving the saffron party a 28-seat margin and the ability to form the government without support from the Shiv Sena.
With input from agencies
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