Eknath Shinde Slams Uddhav Thackeray After Shared Flight With Devendra Fadnavis
Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde launched a sharp political attack on Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday, following a Friday evening flight where Thackeray shared a plane with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. The two political leaders traveled together on a flight from Mumbai to Nagpur.
The shared journey occurred as Thackeray was on his way to Nagpur to address a series of rallies in the constituencies of rebel leaders, starting in Yavatmal in the Vidarbha region.
According to reports, the flight also carried several other key leaders from the Shiv Sena (UBT) faction. Alongside Uddhav Thackeray, the passengers included his son and MLA Aaditya Thackeray, MP Sanjay Raut, former MP Vinayak Raut, and MP Anil Desai. During the flight, Chief Minister Fadnavis and Uddhav Thackeray spoke to each other, while Sanjay Raut also engaged in a conversation with Fadnavis.
On Saturday, Shinde reacted to the encounter by bringing up past political betrayals and questioning Thackeray's political honesty. Shinde stated that having integrity is far more significant than sharing a flight with political opponents.
"Honesty is more important than travelling on a plane," Shinde said on Saturday.
Shinde went on to refer to the split in the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance that occurred after the 2019 assembly elections. He accused Thackeray of abandoning the opportunity to work together to join what he called the sinking ship of the Congress.
"The dishonesty that was done in 2019, the people of Maharashtra had given him the opportunity to travel on a single plane, but he started his journey on the sinking ship of the Congress," Shinde remarked.
Shinde concluded his criticism by referencing the soured relationship between Thackeray and the BJP leadership, stating that Chief Minister Fadnavis knows how dangerous a deceitful friend is.
The Deputy Chief Minister's comments highlight the ongoing political rivalry and unresolved tension from the 2019 Shiv Sena-BJP split, which occurred as Thackeray travels to address rallies in rebel constituencies.
