'The BJP should not treat Shinde saheb as a lightweight.'
The games continue in Maharashtra politics.
The gamesmanship that began with the formation of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government between the undivided Shiv Sena, the Nationalist Congress Party and the Indian National Congress in November 2019 which gave the Bharatiya Janata Party a rude shock was successfully toppled by the rebellion of Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde, covertly and overtly supported by the BJP.
While Eknath Shinde's June 2022 revolt played a pivotal role in dethroning the MVA government, thereby making him the darling of the BJP bosses in Maharashtra, the 14-month honeymoon between the chief minister and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is on the rocks after the induction of the NCP's Ajit Pawar as the state's finance and deputy chief minister, say ministers and MLAs from the Shiv Sena, now fully controlled by Shinde and his 39 MLA followers who ditched Uddhav Thackeray in June 2022 to join hands with the BJP.
While the BJP and Fadnavis doubted the winability of Shiv Sena MLAs and MPs and made it known to them on several occasions leading to simmering tensions between the two parties, the friction between Shinde-Fadnavis became public knowledge when the former published front page advertisements featuring Prime Minister Narendra D Modi and himself undermining his deputy and underlining his own prominence.
Soon after, the BJP brought in Ajit Pawar -- who Shinde and his MLAs held responsible for their rebellion against Thackeray -- to rein in Shinde.
"Ever since he became chief minister, Shinde saheb has been assiduously nurturing journalists and media owners, thereby ensuring positive media coverage for himself in the state," says a source in the Shiv Sena highlighting Fadnavis's discomfiture with Shinde.
"It is with the intention of gaining public sympathy that Shinde is now playing the victim card; he feigned illness for the same purpose; a year in the CM's hot seat and he has learned how to sally forth against his opponents," claims a political observer from Maharashtra, who is close to the BJP.
With Ajit Pawar inducted into the government, Shinde and his Shiv Sena MLAs have been put on notice, this observer adds. "Pawar was purposely given the finance portfolio to send a message to Shinde that he is no more indispensable," he asserts.
Last week, citing poor health, Shinde skipped the inauguration of a flyover, which his party members claim came to fruition in just about a year due to Shinde's efforts, even as Pawar went ahead with the function, adding grist to the mill that the chief minister and the deputy CM were avoiding coming face to face with each other.
The Shinde camp vehemently denies that the chief minister feigned his illness.
"Being the chief minister he has much to do and he doesn't get to sleep for more than three-four hours. That has made him very weak. Almost, every week he has to be administered saline. He is completely ignoring his health," says Sanjay Shirsat, the Shiv Sena MLA from Sambhajinagar -- earlier Aurangabad -- who is close to the chief minister.
"It worries not just us but also his family, but he doesn't listen to anybody. So, I thought that we might have to him admitted to a hospital and ensure that he recovers from his weakness completely," adds Shirsat.
"One thing is certain. If he continues with his work load, we will have no alternative but to admit him. That's the only way one can get him to rest properly and also get proper medical checkup done," says Shirsat.
"He is not going to rest unless he is admitted to hospital; that's the only way we all have to get him to rest," says a Shiv Sena minister, whose berth was under threat when the BJP got Pawar to join the government along with eight other NCP MLAs who were made ministers despite opposition from incumbent Shiv Sena ministers.
Amid all the political one-upmanship in the state, and the cold war between Shinde and Fadnavis, Vijay Wadettiwar, the Congress's newly-appointed leader of the Opposition in the Maharashtra assembly, took potshots at Shinde and Fadnavis.
Wadettiwar claimed that he has information about the BJP's plan to replace Shinde with Pawar.
Tacking on to Shirsat's concerns about Shinde's health, Wadettiwar said, 'Plans are afoot to replace Shinde on health grounds.'
"Replacing Shinde saheb is not that easy; it's not like changing a gram panchayat seat, which can be done in a minute. If the BJP replaces Eknath Shinde as chief minister with Ajit Pawar, then whatever little support and sympathy we have of our voters will vanish in double quick time," says the Shiv Sena minister.
"The BJP should not treat Shinde saheb as a lightweight. If the BJP ousts Shinde saheb as chief minister, then the people of Maharashtra will finish the BJP off," warns the minister.
