Was betrayed by my own: Thackeray to cabinet colleagues

Chairing a cabinet meeting even as his government faces a serious crisis, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday evening said he was betrayed by his own people.

Thackeray chaired a cabinet meeting in Mumbai while the hearing on his government's petition challenging the governor's directive to conduct a floor test to prove majority was underway.

An official said that Thackeray told his cabinet colleagues that he had been betrayed by his own people.

"I also apologise if I have hurt anyone unintentionally," the official quoting Thackeray as saying.

The ministers clapped after chief minister addressed the meeting, he added.

The fate of the Thackeray government hangs in balance as senior minister and Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde has rebelled against the party leadership along with majority of Sena legislators.

The official also said the chief minister did not say anything or hint that he was planning to quit before a possible trust vote on Thursday.

"He thanked the cabinet for their cooperation, and said the cooperation would continue," Congress minister Sunil Kedar told reporters.

To a question whether the MVA government would survive the rebellion by Eknath Shinde, Kedar said, "Every MLA in the house would vote as per his conscience, considering the manner in which Thackeray has led the state's battle against COVID-19.

"Uddhav Thackeray will not stop nor he be defeated, " the Congress leader said.

Kedar appealed to people to consider that a conspiracy was hatched against Thackeray who led the state efficiently during the pandemic and also resumed his official duties soon after undergoing a critical spine surgery.

A major decision taken by the cabinet on Wednesday was renaming of Aurangabad city as Sambhajinagar.