Don’t take me lightly, reiterates Eknath Shinde

Vinaya Deshpande Pandit, Mumbai: Eknath Shinde's cryptic comments spark speculations in Maharashtra's political circles amid alliance differences.

At a time when speculations about differences in Mahayuti are rife amid reports that Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde is unhappy in the alliance, he made a cryptic comment in Nagpur on Friday leading to further speculations in the political circles of Maharashtra. 

“Nobody should take me lightly. I have said this earlier as well. I am a political worker, a common political worker, but I am the political worker of Balasaheb Thackeray and Anand Dighe. Everyone should understand that. When I was taken lightly in the year 2022, I led to the overthrow of the previous government. I changed the government. I brought to power the government which was in the hearts of the common people. Double engine government ran efficiently. I should not be taken lightly. Those who need to understand this message should understand it,” he said while speaking to reporters in Nagpur.

“I will keep working. I had said before the elections that Devendra ji and I will bring over 220 seats. We got 232 seats. Everyone keeps criticising me. A Marathi manoos gives an award to a Marathi manoos. People still feel jealous of it,” he said further.

The comments have added to speculations in the political circles of Maharashtra even as reports of him being upset in the current dispensation due to alleged clipping of wings, are doing rounds. There are also reports that some of the decisions taken by Eknath Shinde during his tenure as the Chief Minister will be reviewed under the new government.  

On Thursday, when Eknath Shinde had visited Delhi during the swearing in ceremony of the Delhi Chief Minister, his party shared videos about how Prime Minister Narendra Modi spent some time speaking exclusively with Eknath Shinde on the stage.

“Our Shiv Sena is such that people trust us with everything. This is how people in the share market trust the strong shares. We have proven our worth in the market,” he told reporters in Nagpur on Friday.