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How PM’s Mumbai visit sets agenda for Shinde’s Sena — ‘we are all Modi’s men’
On Thursday night time, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis published a picturegraph on Twitter of himself and Chief Minister Eknath Shinde sitting on both facet of Prime Minister Narendra Modi inner a newly-inaugurated metro educate in Mumbai.
Modi and Fadnavis had been sitting in near-same poses — grinning — at the same time as the PM glanced sideways at a beaming Shinde. The mirrored image on a pitcher pane of the Metro educate confirmed Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari and BJP Mumbai president Ashish Shelar in a jovial temper as well.
While Fadnavis’ caption sincerely stated ‘bet the conversation’, the photo become possibly telling of the political narrative that Modi’s Mumbai go to on Thursday tried to set — that the coalition of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena can be shaky in its construct (thinking about the manner it got here to electricity in Maharashtra), however each events are collectively beneathneath the undisputed management of the high minister. And that Shinde, in his very own phrases from his speech Thursday, is “one in all Modi’s men”.
In June ultimate year, Shinde orchestrated a rebel toppling the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) authorities, comprising the Shiv Sena, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Congress, to shape a central authority with the BJP.
On Thursday, as Modi inaugurated and released initiatives really well worth over Rs 38,000 crore in Mumbai, Shinde heaped praises at the PM. Modi, meanwhile, exalted the “Shinde-Fadnavis jodi”.
A day after the PM’s programme, the CM and his deputy additionally held an hour-lengthy assembly of all MLAs, MPs of the BJP and the Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena, teaching them to absorb programmes of the Modi authorities of their constituencies and to paintings for all upcoming elections, reassets from each events stated.
This is in sharp assessment to the alliance of the BJP and the undivided Shiv Sena beneathneath Uddhav Thackeray, wherein the latter become continuously jostling to hold its awesome identity.
“One has by no means heard this form of reward for Modi through any Shiv Sena chief before. The truth that CM Shinde belongs to some other birthday birthday celebration become now no longer stamped anywhere, neither in his very own speech, nor the PM’s speech. Even withinside the picturegraph that Fadnavis shared, Shinde’s frame language indicates he’s snug being one in all them (the BJP),” political commentator Hemant Desai advised ThePrint.
“Balasaheb Thackeray (Shiv Sena founder) had withinside the past, from a public stage, warned best friend BJP to now no longer try to dominate. His son Uddhav, too, maintained the identical line, continuously pitching Balasaheb as advanced to Modi through speakme approximately how the Sena chief stored Modi whilst he become Gujarat CM from being sacked after the Godhra riots. Now you can name this Uddhav Thackeray’s self-respect, or his ego,” he added.
‘We are all Modi’s men’
In his speech at an occasion on Thursday, Shinde spoke approximately how his “thoughts is full of natural emotions” whilst he sees and meets Modi.
The CM spoke approximately his go to to Davos for the World Economic Forum assembly in advance this week, pronouncing how leaders of all international locations had been handiest enquiring approximately Modi.
“Many PMs, presidents, a few ministers, they all had been handiest asking approximately Modi saheb. The PM of Luxembourg met me and stated ‘I am Modiji’s bhakt (fan)’. He took a photo with me and stated ‘display this picturegraph to Modiji’. Some humans from Germany and Saudi Arabia met me. They stated, ‘You are with Modiji, proper?’ I stated, ‘We are all his men’,” Shinde stated.
On the alternative hand, the PM hailed the paintings of Shinde and Fadnavis as Maharashtra’s CM and Deputy CM, however now no longer as soon as did he point out Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena, the transient call that the Election Commission has granted to the Shinde-led faction until it takes a very last choice at the tussle among the rival camps on that is the actual Shiv Sena.
“The jodi of Shindeji and Devendraji will make your goals come true. This is my corporation belief,” Modi stated in his speech.
He additionally stated that improvement initiatives that had been inaugurated in Mumbai Thursday had been a end result of the “double-engine sarkar” (relating to BJP-led governments in Maharashtra in addition to the Centre).
He in addition noted that the BJP and the National Democratic Alliance “will by no means positioned the brakes on improvement for political gain”.
Follow-up assembly to push Modi executive works
MLAs from the Shinde camp had been now no longer involved approximately the PM now no longer bringing up their birthday birthday celebration. Nor had been they involved approximately discovering as “Modi’s men”.
“Modiji honestly set the tone that his schedule in Mumbai isn’t approximately politics, however improvement. Throughout his speech, he didn’t criticise any birthday birthday celebration or politician. It has set the proper tone. So, we aren’t involved approximately small such things as PM Modi now no longer taking our birthday birthday celebration’s call,” a senior Shinde camp MLA advised ThePrint.
“The call Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena is only for the time being. We are the authentic Shiv Sena and whilst the authentic call involves us after the Election Commission’s choice, I am certain Modiji will point out it,” Shinde camp spokesperson Sheetal Mhatre stated.
Modi’s Mumbai go to Thursday become observed up through a joint assembly of all MLAs and MPs of the BJP and the Shinde-led Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena on Friday. The MPs and MLAs had been knowledgeable approximately the assembly on Thursday night time and attended it via videoconferencing on Friday.
“It become an hour-lengthy assembly in which the CM and deputy CM advised us to put in force the Modi authorities’s programmes, mainly the imminent Pariksha Pe Charcha in our constituencies. The MLAs and MPs had been additionally advised to paintings for the 30 January MLC election (graduates and teachers’ constituencies),” a BJP MLA stated.
Scheduled for 27 January, Pariksha Pe Charcha is an annual occasion in which PM Modi interacts with college students performing for board examinations.
