MNS chief Raj Thackeray hails Devendra Fadnavis for accepting Maharashtra's Dy CM’s post, says THIS

MNS chief Raj Thackeray wrote a lengthy letter to Devendra Fadnavis and hailed him for accepting the post of state’s Deputy Chief Minister.

MUMBAI: MNS chief Raj Thackeray, who has taken a dig at his cousin and outgoing Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray through cryptic tweets, on Friday congratulated Devendra Fadnavis on becoming the state’s Deputy Chief Minister. "Everyone thought that you'll become CM but sometimes one has to accept the party's instructions. This should be remembered by every political party worker & leader," the MNS chief wrote in his letter to Fadnavis.

श्री. देवेंद्र फडणवीस यांचे अभिनंदन! pic.twitter.com/2TokAB3E1F — Raj Thackeray (@RajThackeray) July 1, 2022

It may be noted that Fadnavis had earlier announced that he won’t be part of the new Maharashtra government and announced that Eknath Shinde would be the new chief minister. However, shortly after that, in a dramatic turn of events, BJP president JP Nadda and Union Home Minister Amit Shah insisted that Fadnavis should be the deputy chief minister in the new government.

Fadnavis was reportedly not very happy with the decision initially but accepted the central leadership’s order to take charge as the new Deputy CM of Maharashtra. Many saw this as the BJP’s masterstroke to weaken the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena faction and woo the powerful Maratha community in the state.

By backing Shinde as CM, the BJP also countered the allegations of being power-hungry. Amid all this, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde today said his elevation to the top post is due to the masterstroke by BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis.

“People thought that the BJP was desperate for power. But truly, this is a masterstroke by Devendra Ji. To hand over power to another person despite having larger numbers (of MLAs) requires a big heart,” he said. 

“With his decision, people of the state and the country got to see a new example of this large-heartedness,” Shinde said after he and Fadnavis were sworn in as CM and Deputy CM respectively at Raj Bhavan Thursday evening.

“The party with the most numbers has the claim to the chief minister's post. But in this case, I would like to thank PM Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, J P Nadda and specially Devendra Fadnavis, who showed a big heart and gave this chance to a Shiv Sainik,” Shinde told a TV channel. 

Shinde said the previous stint of Fadnavis as chief minister will come in handy as he leads the state. “Fadnavis joined this ministry due to the directives of his (party) seniors. I am happy for this because his experience will come in handy in speeding up developmental works in the state,” Shinde said.

Maharashtra state BJP president Chandrakant Patil also said that there was nothing unexpected about Devendra Fadnavis becoming Deputy Chief Minister in the new government in Maharashtra. "I am aware that many people were shocked by the events yesterday. But there was nothing unexpected in what happened with Devendra Fadnavis," Patil told reporters here. 

"BJP decided to support Shinde for CM's post for taking the Hindutva ideology ahead. But Shinde himself asked Fadnavis to join his cabinet. So Fadnavis asked our leaders in Delhi for permission," he said. "You need a truly large heart to work under a person who was your junior earlier," Patil said, praising Fadnavis.

Shinde was a minister when Fadnavis headed the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance government in the state from 2014 to 2019.