After Uddhav hints that deputy chief minister may have to step down, Fadnavis says some people were trying to defame ally; In a veiled attack on Shinde, Thackeray said that “one more minister will have to go” and hinted that the leader was from Thane
Eknath Shinde, head of the Shiv Sena. File pics/Ashish Raje
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray are locked in a war of words over Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. In a veiled attack on Shinde, Thackeray said that “one more minister will have to go” and hinted that the leader was from Thane.
Thackeray’s remarks came soon after Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders demanded Shinde’s resignation as deputy chief minister, following allegations that his brother Prakash was allegedly linked to a drug racket busted by the Mumbai Police in Satara. Prakash has thoroughly refuted the allegations.
Uddhav Thackeray, president of the Shiv Sena (UBT); (right) Devendra Fadnavis, chief minister
Defending Shinde on Friday, Fadnavis said his ally was being deliberately targeted, and his image was being tarnished without basis. “Some people are misleading everyone by dragging Shinde and his family’s name in a drug-related case. This is being done with the intention to gain political mileage and defame Shinde,” Fadnavis, who heads the home department, stated.
The Maharashtra home minister further stated that a detailed investigation would be carried out in connection with this case.
Earlier, Sena (UBT) leader Sushma Andhare demanded the resignation of Shinde, alleging links between a resort owned by his brother and a drug manufacturing unit recently busted in Satara district. Andhare has alleged that Shinde’s brother owns a resort in Sawari village, and the hotel had allegedly supplied food to a nearby temporary shed where drugs were being manufactured.
Meanwhile, a member of Parliament belonging to the Sena (UBT) camp has written a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, briefing him about the entire episode and urging the minister to take action against Shinde.
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