Maharashtra CM Shinde Greets Uddhav Thackeray on His Birthday, Avoids Reference as Shiv Sena President

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday greeted his predecessor and Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray on the latter’s 62nd birthday.

Interestingly, Shinde refrained from referring to Thackeray as the Shiv Sena president as both factions are currently locked in a legal battle to claim the party’s symbol with the Election Commission of India.

“Happy birthday to Shri Uddhavji Thackeray, former chief minister of Maharashtra,” CM Eknath Shinde wrote in the tweet and also wrote that wrote he prays to Jagadamba for his long and healthy life.

Last month, Shinde led a rebellion along with 39 other Shiv Sena MLAs and 10 independents against the party leadership, leading to the collapse of the Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government.

Recently, 12 out of the 19 Shiv Sena Lok Sabha members also extended support to the Shinde camp. Shinde recently formed a national executive of his faction, claiming it to be the real Shiv Sena.

Meanwhile, in his first interview with Shiv Sena’s mouthpiece ‘Saamana’ after stepping down as the chief minister last month, Thackeray said “rebels are like rotten leaves of a tree and should be shed”.

“It is good for the tree as there will be new leaves (leadership),” he said.

Thackeray was interviewed by Saamana executive editor and Shiv Sena’s Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut.

Also Read | Made You No. 2 in Shiv Sena, But You Broke Trust When I Was Ill, in Hospital: Uddhav Thackeray

Refraining from naming Sena rebel and Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde, Thackeray said many senior Sena leaders, who worked with Sena supremo Balasaheb Thackeray, blessed them for their stand amid the rebellion led by Shinde.

“At a time when I was recovering from a major neck surgery that left me temporarily unable to use my limbs, I heard reports that some were praying for my health and others were praying that I should stay unwell,” said Thackeray.

“I am ‘paksha pramukh’, head of the family, but I couldn’t even move after the surgery. At that time, they were actively conspiring against me… I will always live with this painful reality…I had entrusted someone with the party, given him the status of number two. I had trusted you to take care of the party, you broke that trust, that, too, when I was in the hospital,” he said.

(with inputs from PTI)

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