CM Eknath Shinde says, Issues related to Dawood, Mumbai riots came up but MVA govt was indecisive

Noting that there must be "big reason" for 50 MLAs to leave a ruling alliance, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday said that the previous MVA government which had Congress and Shiv Sena as constituents could not take a decision when matters concerning Hindutva or Veer Savarkar or that on Mumbai blasts and underworld don Dawood Ibrahim came up.

In an exclusive interview with ANI, Shinde said they had decided to take further "Hindu Hriday Samrat Balasaheb Thackeray's ideology.

"We have decided to take our Hindu Hriday Samrat Balasaheb Thackeray's Hindutva ideology, his role further. If 50 MLAs take such a step, then there must be a big reason for it. Nobody takes such a big decision for small reason. Even a corporator does not take such a decision. Why did 50 MLAs take such a decision? There was a need to think about this," Shinde said.

"Shiv Sena, BJP contested 2019 assembly elections together but the government was formed with Congress, NCP. Due to this, whenever issues of Hindutva came up, matters relating to Savarkar came up, Mumbai blast issue came up, on Dawood issue came up and other issues when (these) came, we were unable to take a decision," he added.

Shinde was referring to Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and former Maharashtra Minister Nawab Malik who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in February this year in connection with a money-laundering probe linked to the activities of fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim and his aides.

Dawood Ibrahim is the main accused in the 1993 bomb blasts in Mumbai that killed 257 people. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had in May submitted a chargesheet against Malik in the money laundering case.

Shinde, who led a revolt in Shiv Sena leading to the resignation of Uddhav Thackeray as Chief Minister on June 29, had asked earlier how can Balasaheb Thackeray's Shiv Sena support people "who had a direct connection with culprits of Mumbai bomb blast, Dawood Ibrahim and those responsible for taking lives of innocent people of Mumbai".

(ANI)

Also Read: Eknath Shinde says, BJP had more numbers, supported us for our Hindutva position, development agenda