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.
"Was I supposed to be on my deathbed for my leaders to come visit me? This was bothering me. My family has been facing a lot of trouble for the past 7-8 months. It was then that I decided to take the decision. It was not easy for me, it took a while to decide upon this. It pains me to take this decision. But my husband and I will never leave the Shiv Sena. The people of my constituency who supported me should support me now as well. I will never be dishonest with my party, but it needs to be looked into as to what's led to this scenario."Rebel MLA Yamini Jadhav from Mumbai's Byculla
Rebel MLA Shirsat's Scathing Letter to CM
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 doors to CM's official residence Barsgha opened in the true sense last evening for the common Shiv Sainiks. These doors were closed for the past two and a half years for us, even as MLAs. In order to reach to you, we had to constantly appease your middlemen, who have not even been chosen by the people of the state as their representatives.
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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