Uddhav Thackeray has responded to an ‘offer’ by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis that has sparked huge speculation.
The two former allies – one who headed the Shiv Sena before it broke into two factions, and the other from the BJP – made comments that appeared like signalling for something significant.
Mr Fadnavis, however, cleared the air. It was a joke, he said, referring to his comment that “Uddhav ji” has the scope to reunite with the ruling Mahayuti alliance.
“Uddhav ji, there is no scope (for a change in government) till 2029. We do not have the scope to come to the other (Opposition’s) side. You have the scope to come here, and it can be thought about. We can think about it differently,” the chief minister had said.
To a question by reporters on Friday, Mr Fadnavis said, “Why do you take our jokes seriously? Even Uddhav ji has said it was said in a lighter note. Don’t take our tension. We (Mahayuti) are capable and competent.”
Mr Thackeray, who heads the Shiv Sena (UBT), also met the chief minister on Thursday, a development that led to a buzz over something in the works.
Later, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and Uddhav Thackeray’s son Aaditya Thackeray said his father met Mr Fadnavis to discuss the Marathi language issue, which has been in the news in recent times.
Mr Thackeray met Mr Fadnavis in the chamber of legislative council chairperson Ram Shinde. Worli MLA Aaditya Thackeray was also present in the meeting that lasted for about half-an-hour.
On Friday, when reporters asked Uddhav Thackeray about Mr Fadnavis’ offer, the Shiv Sena (UBT) leader said, “Before speaking to you, I was speaking to the print media. I spoke about the chaddi baniyan gang. Chaddi baniyans also have an advertisement – yeh andar ki baat hai.”
The “chaddi baniyan” reference was to a comment by Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar who in the assembly said the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance has fostered a culture of violence, misgovernance and corruption, turning Maharashtra into a “20 per cent commission” state.
“While koyta gangs (gangs wielding ‘koyta‘ knives) wreaked havoc in Pune, the ruling party has its own chaddi baniyan gang who resort to violence if things do not go their way,” Mr Wadettiwar said.
The undivided Shiv Sena led by Uddhav Thackeray parted ways with longtime ally BJP after the 2019 assembly election over a dispute on sharing the chief minister’s post.
