Uddhav again reaches out to rebel MLAs, says he still cares for them

Amid the crisis in Maharashtra, Fadnavis meets Amit Shah, Nadda in Delhi

In yet another emotional appeal to rebel Shiv Sena MLAs stationed in Guwahati, party president and Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday said he still cared for them and was ready to find a way out of the present situation by talking to them personally. Meanwhile, with an eye on the power game in the State, BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP president J.P. Nadda in Delhi. 

“I appeal to all of you to come and sit in front of me and clarify all confusion from the minds of Sena workers and people. There will surely be a way out and we will do it together. Do not fall prey to anyone’s false promises,” said Mr. Thackeray in an appeal to party’s rebel MLAs. Around 39 MLAs have joined rebel leader and party’s second-in-command Eknath Shinde. The group is demanding that Mr. Thackeray quit the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) where the Sena is in alliance with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Congress. The group is demanding that the Sena should form the government with the BJP.

“You are stuck in Guwahati for the last few days and every day new information about you is coming out. Many of you are in touch with us and you are still a shivsainik by heart,” Mr. Thackeray said, adding that family members of many MLAs had conveyed their feelings to him and he respected those as head of the Shiv Sena.

“As a family head, I reiterate that still there’s time. You will never get the honour that the Sena bestowed upon you. We can find a way out of it if you come face to face. I still care for you as Sena chief and the Sena family head. We will find out the way once we discuss it face to face,” he said. Mr. Thackeray had made a similar appeal to the MLAs a day after they left Mumbai and he even quit his official residence ‘Varsha’ and moved to his house ‘Matoshri’. 

To counter Mr. Thackeray’s statement that many of the MLAs were still in touch with the party, the rebel group leader Mr. Shinde challenged to name those MLAs. Throughout the day, the MLAs of the group released videos claiming that they were not in touch with any other leader and would follow Mr. Shinde.

The BJP, which still has been claiming that it has nothing to do with the internal feud, has reportedly called all its MLAs and affiliated independents to Mumbai on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, former Chief Minister and Leader of the Opposition Mr. Fadnavis met with Mr. Shah and Mr. Nadda in New Delhi amid the unfolding crisis in the MVA government. According to sources in the BJP, Mr. Fadnavis, accompanied by lawyer and MP Mahesh Jethmalani and a couple of leaders first met with Mr. Shah and later called on Mr. Nadda. “Legal and political angles to the crisis in Maharashtra were discussed and the options before the party were gone over with a fine-tooth comb,” said a senior leader who did not wish to be named.