Shinde Offered Shah Merger Of His Sena With BJP To Become Maha CM, Says Sanjay Raut

Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha MP and chief party spokesperson Sanjay Raut said here on Friday that Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde made an offer to Union Home Minister Amit Shah that he would merge his Shiv Sena with the BJP, if Shinde was made Chief Minister of Maharashtra.

“What I am giving you is official information. He (Eknath Shinde) had taken Guru Poornima items with him to Delhi. He worshipped Amit Shah as his Guru. He placed his head on his feet as a Guru and offered flowers at his feet. He applied sandalwood to both his feet. Even though I could not get the photograph, I have definite information. After that, he met other leaders and complained about Devendra Fadnavis as usual, that Fadnavis is not allowing him to work. He (Fadnavis) is putting us in trouble. Eknath Shinde’s complaint was that Fadnavis has ordered inquiries against his MLAs,” Sanjay Raut said.

Advertisement

“Shinde told Amit Shah that Marathi people have united again, and this will cause us trouble since it will only get stronger, due to which we will suffer politically. After Amit Shah asked Shinde what was on his mind, Shinde told him to make him the Chief Minister of Maharashtra. Shinde told him that if he were made the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, he would bring political stability. When Shah told Shinde that the Chief Minister will be only from the BJP, Shinde told Amit Shah that he is willing to merge his Shiv Sena with the BJP if he is made the Chief Minister of Maharashtra,” Sanjay Raut said.

Raut said that Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s “secret” visit to Delhi is now a hot topic in political circles of the state.

According to Raut, Shinde secretly visited Delhi while the monsoon session of the Maharashtra assembly was on in Mumbai. Raut stated that Shinde met many big leaders during this visit, including Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as well as shared a tweet criticising Shinde’s visit to Delhi on his X account.

“Eknath Shinde washed the feet of his guru Amit Shah and took his blessings. I am not saying this jokingly or in any other sense. What I am saying now is 100 per cent true. Eknath Shinde’s gurus are in Delhi. They are Amit Shah and Narendra Modi. Eknath Shinde follows their orders,” he said.

According to Sanjay Raut, Eknath Shinde complained in Delhi that Fadnavis has ordered inquiries against MLAs from his Shiv Sena.

Meanwhile, on Friday, the Mumbai Police has filed a non-cognisable offence (NC) against Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena MLA Sanjay Gaikwad, representing Buldhana assembly constituency, for thrashing a canteen contractor at the Akashwani MLAs’ hostel on Tuesday night.

Speaking about the development, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said, “There is no need for a complaint to be filed. If a cognizable offence is committed, the police are empowered to take appropriate action. We need to understand that there are certain cognisable and non-cognisable offences, and accordingly, action will be taken. Lastly, how much force was applied determines the nature of the offence. The police will take appropriate action on the matter”.

In a related development, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena MLA Sanjay Shirsat, who represents Aurangabad (West), confirmed that the Income Tax Department had issued a notice to him, seeking clarification about the growth of his personal assets during the past five years.

“Some people had filed a complaint against me with the income tax department, based on which I was issued a notice. I was supposed to respond to it on Wednesday, but I requested more time. I will give a proper response,” Shirsat said.

However, shortly after Shirsat’s statement, a video posted online by Sanjay Raut allegedly showed Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena MLA Sanjay Shirsat smoking in a private room, with a bag supposedly full of currency by his side.

The video was posted with a message by Sanjay Raut, which said, “I feel pity for Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis! How many more times will he just sit and watch his reputation being torn to shreds? Helplessness has another name – Fadnavis!”