I will quit if my own people don't want me, says Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray amid political crisis

With no resolution in sight to placate rebel Shiv Sena MLAs led by Eknath Shinde who flew to Guwahati from Surat overnight Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray came out with an emotional yet firm pitch to address the concerns of his partymen on Wednesday He once again appealed to the rebels to return and even offered to give away his powers in return However it is to be seen if Shinde is still willing to return to the Senafold After the CMrsquos speech he tweeted asking the Sena to ldquoquit the unnatural alliance with NCP and CongressrdquoThe Shiv Sena supremo said he would resign from the post of both the CM and the party president if even one rebel or party worker tells him that he was unfit to carry out the responsibilitiesAlso read NCP chief Sharad Pawars baffling handsoff approach towards MVA crisisPicANIldquoIrsquom not selfish Irsquom not helpless Come here or call me to tell me that Irsquom nalayak unworthy as the CM I will keep my resignation letter ready You may carry it to the governor What will happen We will have to fight elections again Irsquom not scared as long as my Shiv Sainiks are with merdquo he said adding that he was shifting to his Bandra residence from the CMrsquos official bungalow Varsha He moved to Matoshree later in the eveningQuestions for rebelsHe put up a question for the rebels What if after joining hands with BJP a Sena member does not become his successor What if someone else succeeds him It was clear indication that even after joining forces with the BJP the rebel group will end up with nothing and left to the mercy of the bigger partner In their conversation on Tuesday Thackeray told Shinde that the Sena had suffered most when it was with the BJP and it shouldnrsquot suffer anymore by forging an alliance once againShinde as CMDoes Thackeray mean Shinde will be made the CM if he returns to the Senafold Shinde however with support of more than 40 MLAs seemed to have gone far ahead and was not willing to return In a tweet after the CMrsquos address on Wednesday he said it was pertinent to ldquoquit the unnatural alliance with NCP and Congress because the Shiv Sena has suffered while the other partners benefited the mostrdquoPreparations underway for CM Uddhav Thackeray to move out of his official residence Varsha on Wednesday PicPradeep DhivarThackeray said he was disheartened because his own people were demanding his removal ldquoIt could be understood if the Congress and the NCP wanted me to quit and yet they have put all the trust in me If my own people donrsquot want me they should tell me so I donrsquot know why they are doing thisrdquoThe CM said he took up the challenge of leading the government against his wishes ldquoI didnrsquot have any experience Pawar saheb asked me to lead and Soniaji also wished the same because they felt that without me the government will not run as there were several senior leaders in the Congress and the NCPrdquo He added that the performance during the pandemic placed him among the top five best CMs in the country Affected by Covid19 Thackeray spoke online from Varsha where he has been meeting party and MVA leaders Speculation was rife on Wednesday that Thackeray was going to recommend the dissolution of the Assembly He attended a weekly Cabinet meeting online which had the minimum attendance of the Sena ministers but the Congress and NCP ministers were in full strength to stand in solidarity with the Sena chief The Cabinet meeting which according to many would be the last for the MVA went on smoothly said many ministerslsquoHindutva gave you allrsquoThackeray reminded Shinde and other rebels that it was the Sena after Balasaheb Thackeray and its Hindutva that gave them everything including important ministries ldquoSome say the Sena has dropped Hindutva and it is no longer Balasaheb Thackerayrsquos party Irsquom the only CM who has spoken about Hindutva in the Legislature Hindutva is the soul of Senardquo he addedThe CM said it was the same Sena that fought alone in 2014 to win 63 MLAs and suffered many setbacks ldquoThe same Sena the mother has been betrayed by her ownhellip This my appeal isnrsquot a naatak drama I mean what I say For me the numbers are a minor thing I will quit even if one MLA votes against me In democracy the one having numbers winsrdquo he said46No of MLAsrsquo support Shinde claims to have