A day after Uddhav Thackeray accused the BJP of only making “false promises”, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday, 15 January, said that the party “will find a way” to keep its alliance with Shiv Sena ahead of Lok Sabha elections.
Speaking at an event held to commemorate the legacy of Shiv Sena Founder Balasaheb Thackeray at the YB Chavan Centre in Mumbai, The Indian Express quoted Fadnavis as saying:
“It is due to the alliance in 1995 that we have come such a long way. Whenever there were issues in the alliance, Balasaheb used to take decisions with a big heart. Now, the responsibility of the alliance is on us and we will figure out a way.”
Praising the late Shiv Sena founder for being a great leader, Fadnavis spoke about how Balasaheb never hesitated to speak his mind, a trait that appealed to people and made him a great orator, the report added.
“Balasaheb never just gave a speech. He used to communicate with people. He used to speak his mind. The people used to feel that he was speaking to them,” he said.
Fadnavis shared the stage with other political leaders such as NCP chief Sharad Pawar and Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut, India Today reported.
Raut, who is also the producer of the upcoming biopic on Balasaheb, said in his speech on Tuesday that people used to say there was a remote control (Bal Thackeray) controlling the government. When Raut asked Fadnavis about his thoughts, the CM reportedly answered that if it did still exist, then the state would have been happier, according to the India Today report.
Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, his wife Rashmi and son Aditya; former cricketer Sunil Gavaskar and actor Sanjay Dutt were among the prominent personalities who had attended the event.
Fadnavis Speaks to Uddhav Thackeray on BEST Bus Strike
On Tuesday, Fadnavis reportedly spoke to Uddhav about the BEST bus strike in Mumbai, so the two leaders could figure out a solution, PTI reported.
Over 32,000 employees of the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport Undertaking (BEST) have been on strike since Tuesday last week, 8 January, and 3,200-odd buses are off the roads.
The telephonic conversation between Fadnavis and Uddhav took place after a meeting between protesting BEST union functionaries and state Chief Secretary DK Jain failed to end the deadlock on Monday, 14 January. The details of the conversation were not immediately known.
(With inputs from PTI, The Indian Express and India Today)
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