Eknath Shinde cried, desperately urged my father to join BJP… after cash was found in his godown: Aaditya

SHIV SENA ( UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray on Tuesday claimed that when Eknath Shinde was a minister in MVA government, he made desperate attempts to force Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray to join hands with BJP.

“Eknath Shinde had met Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray. He was crying at that time and was desperately urging my father to join hands with the BJP,” Aaditya said in Pimpri- Chinchwad on Tuesday where he had come for filing the nomination papers of Sena candidate Sanjog Waghere.

Aaditya said Shinde was threatened by the Modi government to join hands with BJP or face arrest.

“He was told to either join us or go to jail by the Modi government. This was after cash was found in his godown… And after that he had come pleading to Uddhav Thackeray to join hands with the BJP,” he said.

Eknath Shinde had staged a rebellion on June 21, 2022 and subsequently by the end of the month, he had become the chief minister with the support of 40 MLAS who had walked out of the Uddhav Sena.

Aaditya Thackeray claimed, “On May 20, 2022, Eknath Shinde had come to ‘ Varsha’ bungalow. This was af ter the

Income Tax department had seized his cash godown. Eknath Shinde was given the offer of either joining hands with BJP or going to jail. Scratching his beard, Eknath Shinde started crying. Even as he was crying, he told

Uddhav Thackeray that he was being threatened… He said this was not the age to go to jail. What should I do? He told Uddhav Thackeray that let us join hands with BJP, otherwise they will put me in jail.”

Aaditya said BJP resorts to lies and blatant lies.

Aaditya Thackeray’s statement came hours after Sanjay Raut made a comment on similar lines in Mumbai. Raut said the Modi government had threatened Shinde with arrest if he did not split the Sena.

Raut alleged on Tuesday that Prime Minister Narendra Modile d Central government had planned to arrest Chief Minister Eknath Shinde back when he was a minister in the Uddhav Thackeray- le d Maha Vikas Aghadi ( MVA) government.

“The Modi government had planned to arrest Eknath Shinde. The chief minister should be asked whether this is true or not,” said Raut.

Asked about the case in which Shinde was purportedly meant to be arrested, the MP alleged, “He had committed several irregularities… He was involved in money laundering.”

According to Raut, Shinde was told that action would be initiated against him if he did not part ways with the MVA along with several MLAS.

“They asked him to split the Sena or face arrest,” he said.

Aaditya Thackeray