Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray made an important announcement during his public address on Facebook. The Shiv Sena chief said on Wednesday that he is “ready to resign” amid the current political storm.
With the sole exception of Kashmir, Maharashtra is the state most associated with the words ‘political crisis’. The state and its residents are not new to various aspects of political crises and the string of events that follow them.
Ready to resign:
During the live address, Thackeray said that he was thankful for the support of the people of Maharashtra over the last 2.5 years. The Maharashtra CM also added, “I will quit as chief minister and leave official residence if even one of the disgruntled MLAs says he doesn’t want me as Chief Minister.”
Uddhav Thackeray, the president of Shiv Sena, said, “I am very thankful for the support you have lent me in the last 2.5 years. Several people have told me that Uddhav Ji when you speak, it feels like you are one of our family. That is all I need. The chief minister position came to me accidentally, it is not something I yearn for.”
In light of the ongoing political crisis started by rebel Shiv Sena MLA Eknath Shinde, speculations arose of Thackeray resigning from the post of chief minister soon. Addressing this, the Shiv Sena chief said, “I always keep my resignation ready. I have no use of political power.”
Reports had earlier suggested that CM Uddhav Thackeray might tender his resignation after his live address at 5 pm on June 22. Though the chief minister has said that he is ready to resign, no reports of him tendering his resignation today have surfaced yet.
‘Posts will come and go’:
Thackeray said that CM posts will come and go but “the real asset is the affection of the people.” He further said that NCP chief Sharad Pawar and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi helped him a lot as he became the chief minister without any prior experience.
“Why make statements from Surat and other places? Come and tell me to my face that I am incompetent to handle the posts of the chief minister and Shiv Sena president. I will resign immediately. I will keep my resignation letter ready and you can come and take it to Raj Bhavan,” Thackeray said.
Supported by Kamal Nath and Sharad Pawar:
In his Facebook Live, Uddhav Thackeray claimed that both Sharad Pawar and Kamal Nath phoned him saying they want him to continue as chief minister.
“I have kept the letter of my resignation as chief minister ready; willing to resign as CM at this very moment,” said Uddhav Thackeray.
Existence of MVA:
The CM said he would be happy if a Shiv Sainik succeeds him in the top constitutional post. Recalling the events of November 2019 when the MVA took shape, Thackeray said he agreed to become CM despite his political inexperience after NCP president Sharad Pawar suggested he take up the job.
The MVA came into existence despite the Congress and the NCP being Shiv Sena’s political adversaries for several decades, he said. Thackeray said he was shocked at the ongoing political developments in the state, which started on Monday night when Shinde (58) raised a banner of revolt and landed in a hotel in Surat, around 280km from Mumbai, with a bunch of disgruntled MLAs.
‘’If my people do not want me, I don’t want to stick to power. I am ready with my resignation letter even if one rebel comes and tells me face to face that he doesn’t want me as chief minister. I am also ready to quit as Shiv Sena president if Shiv Sainiks tell me so. I face challenges head-on and never turn my back on them,’’ he said. Thackeray said he does not run away from responsibilities and reiterated his commitment to Hindutva. “I am a man who does any task assigned to me with full determination. These days there is a talk about the Shiv Sena not being the party of (founder) Balasaheb Thackeray and giving up Hindutva,’’ he said.
Hindutva:
The CM said rebels were seeking to appropriate the Hindutva plank and raising a question mark on the Shiv Sena’s commitment to the ideology.
‘’Hindutva is Shiv Sena’s breath. I was the first CM to speak about Hindutva in the Legislative Assembly,” Thackeray said.
Attacking Shinde without naming him, the CM said all Sena leaders who have become ministers since 2014 (when the party was a constituent of the BJP-led government) owe their success to the organization after the death of Bal Thackeray. Shinde was a member of the Devendra Fadnavis cabinet (2014-19).
“Balasaheb died in 2012. We contested the assembly elections on our own in 2014 and won 63 seats (Sena later joined the BJP government),” he said.
Conclusion:
Thackeray said some rebel MLAs have told the party they want to come back from Guwahati, where they have moved from Surat, and allegedly some of the legislators have been coerced or intimidated.
The Sena president thanked Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, Pawar and the state bureaucracy for standing by him despite his inexperience in governance and added that he was voted among the top 5 CMs in terms of administrative performance during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Shinde on the other hand has claimed the support of 46 MLAs.
It remains to be seen what lies in store for the state and its citizens. Will Governor’s rule be declared once again? Only time shall tell.
Fadnavis Meets BJP Chief JP Nadda In Delhi Amid Political Crisis
