‘Eknath Shinde should be grateful to Uddhav Thackeray’: Sanjay Raut

Shiv Sena UBT leader and MP Sanjay Raut today said that Eknath Shinde, former Maharashtra chief minister and now deputy chief minister, should show some decency and be grateful to Uddhav Thackeray.

Raut pointed out that Shinde’s rise in Maharashtra politics happened because Uddhav Thackeray had solidly supported him by giving him ticket to contest assembly elections in 2004.

Raut said that if Shinde knows the meaning of gratitude then he should be grateful to Uddhav Thackeray.

“You left us because of difference of opinion. We criticised you, in return you criticised us. But the kind of language you use about Uddhav Thackeray, you should introspect and then choose your words. Please think about where you will be when Narendra Modi and Amit Shah are out of power. Go to Kamakhya temple or Kedarnath temple and do some introspection. The show-off of money power that you are doing is because Uddhav Thackeray gave you the energy to rise in politics,” Raut said.

“We respect leaders like Chagan Bhujbal and Ganesh Naik who also parted ways with us but always remained grateful to the Thackeray family. If you had not got the support and energy from Thackeray family, Modi, Shah and [Devendra] Fadnavis would not even had looked at you,” Raut said.

‘Uddhav Thackeray is modern Aurangzeb’

Meanwhile, Shiv Sena MP Naresh Mhaske kicked up a fresh controversy, saying that Uddhav Thackeray caused a lot of trouble to late Shiv Sena chief and the latter’s father Balasaheb Thackeray in his last days. Raj Thackeray has spoken about it several times; how Aurangzeb killed his brothers for the sake of power. Uddhav Thackeray systematically alienated his brothers. He left Balasaheb’s ideology but fought with brother over Balasaheb’s properties, Mhaske said. “Not only did he cause trouble to late Balasaheb, but, after his death, he has joined hands with ideological enemies of Balasaheb.”