Shinde rebukes MLAS for dancing atop tables
PANAJI: A day after rebel Shiv Sena MLAS danced atop tables in a Goa hotel, the group’s de facto spokesperson Deepak Kesarkar revealed that they were reprimanded by the “leader of the family” and chief minister Eknath Shinde.
Kesarkar, an MLA who represents Sawantwadi, said that after his return from Mumbai on Thursday night, the newly sworn-in chief minister asked the MLAS to behave in a “more mature fashion”.
“It is true that there has been some negative reaction and understandably so, that in the happiness of the moment, they may have behaved in a way that was not appropriate. But you must understand that these were MLAS who at one point were staring at disqualification. So, that was a release of jubilation,” Kesarkar said, adding that Eknath Shinde asked them to behave in a mature manner.
Shinde held a meeting with his rebel camp MLAS early on Friday before returning to Mumbai, where he held meetings on Maharashtra’s weather situation.
Speaking to reporters outside the Goa hotel, Shinde said that he was leaving for Mumbai to monitor the rain situation and said that his government’s first priority would be to make Maharashtra free of farmer suicides.
“I held a meeting of my MLAS in the morning. I am heading back to Mumbai because it has been raining a lot and we have called for a meeting of the disaster management committee to oversee the situation,” Shinde said.
“On the occasion of Krishi din, celebrated on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Vasantrao Naik, I announce that it will be my priority to do whatever it takes to make Maharashtra free of farmer suicides -- something that has been a black spot on this very agrarian state,” Shinde said, adding that his government would support farmers beyond just farmer waivers or subsidies.