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Shiv Sena rebel MLA Yamini Jadhav from Mumbai's Byculla took to social media on Friday, 24 June, to say that it was not easy for her to rebel against the party leadership, but none of them cared when she was diagnosed with cancer last year.
In a video message, Jadhav said, "We can understand the rage of Shiv Sainiks given the developments of the past few days. We are still Shiv Sainiks and will die as Shiv Sainiks."
The video was also tweeted out by Rebel leader Eknath Shinde.
"In October last year, I was diagnosed with cancer. My family was destroyed. The party was apprised of my health issues as is required of us. As one of their female MLAs, I had expected some senior leaders to visit me. I was very disturbed with the news. All the Shiv Sainiks of my constituency supported me and I thank them for it," she said.
Meanwhile, MLA Sanjay Shirsat penned a scathing letter to Chief Minister Thackeray on Thursday, 23 June, stating that Eknath Shinde went against the party only because several MLAs persuaded him to do so after facing "humiliation" at the hands of the CM's "middlemen." The letter was also tweeted by Shinde, and read:
The letter further said that Congress and NCP personnel would get to meet Thackeray on the daily and "brandishing letters of having got funds," constituents would ask, "if the CM is ours, then how are our opponents getting the funds?"
The letter, calling Eknath Shinde a "true follower of Bal Thackeray and Dharamveer Anand Dighe," said that the rebel MLAs are presently standing by Shinde during the current crisis because "his doors were always open for us, and we believe that they will be open in the future."
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