What did rebel Shiv Sena MLAs achieve by ‘backstabbing’ us, asks Aaditya Thackeray

Mumbai, August 21

Shiv Sena MLA and former Maharashtra minister Aaditya Thackeray has sought to know what did the rebel legislators achieve by “backstabbing” the party leadership when it supported them in every possible way.

He made the remarks on Saturday at a public rally in Jalgaon, the Assembly constituency of rebel Sena leader and present state minister Gulabrao Patil.

In June this year, Shiv Sena MLA Eknath Shinde and 39 other legislators revolted against the party leadership, leading to the collapse of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) Government, which comprised the Sena, NCP and Congress.

Shinde was sworn in as the Chief Minister on June 30 along with BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis as his deputy.

CM Shinde recently expanded his Cabinet, inducting nine ministers each from the Sena and the BJP.

“We gave them tickets, made efforts to get them elected and supported them in every possible way. Why did they backstab us? What did they achieve by being traitors?” Aaditya Thackeray asked.

“Whatever they have got, they got it for themselves. They have not given anything back to the people,” claimed the MLA, who is the son of former CM Uddhav Thackeray.

In the Shinde-led ministry, Gulabrao Patil has retained charge of the water supply and sanitation department, which he held in the previous MVA government.