Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray's meeting with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday set tongues wagging, amid speculations that many in the Shiv Sena (UBT) might be looking to jump ships in the wake of disastrous election performance.
However, the meeting, the third since the new government was formed, was not well received by Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who made an acrid remark about the Shiv Sena scion.
When asked about the Thackeray-Fadnavis meeting, the former Chief Minister slammed the son of Uddhav Thackeray, without explicitly taking his name, that "he was a new species of chameleon that changes colours."
On the meeting, Shinde, who broke Shiv Sena in 2022 to align with Mahayuti to form the government, said Uddhav had called Fadnavis "useless" and "unconstitutional" but changed colours now."
"They called me an unconstitutional Chief Minister and our government unconstitutional. They called Devendra Fadnavis a 'fadtus' (useless). Nobody thought they would change their colour so soon. We have seen chameleons changing colours but this new species of chameleon," Shinde lashed out.
He said the people of Maharashtra showed them their place. "Those who distorted the ideas of the people, Balasaheb, and Hindutva, the voters trashed them," Shinde added.
Thackeray claimed the meeting with Fanavis was to discuss people's issues, including water access for all and housing for retired police personnel. However, the meeting has raised eyebrows amid speculations about a potential merger. Earlier, Fadnavis's work was praised in Uddhav's party's mouthpiece Saamana. "When many of his cabinet colleagues are busy squabbling over certain creamy portfolios and guardian ministership of key districts, Fadnavis started work and reached Gadchiroli to launch a new era of development," said the editorial in Saamna.
Meanwhile, over 30 local leaders, including former corporators and office-bearers, quit Shiv Sena (UBT) to join the BJP and the Shiv Sena. Leaders from Dhule, Sakri, Ahilya Nagar, Palghar, Navi Mumbai, Pune and Solapur have been leaving the Sena (UBT) to join the ruling Mahayuti’s parties, in particular the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and the BJP.
The sudden exodus is likely to have an impact on the upcoming BMC polls.