MLA says CM inaccessible, slams coterie

A day after CM Uddhav Thackeray's emotional appeal to try and stem the revolt in the Shiv Sena, rebel leader Eknath Shinde shared a strongly-worded letter written by Aurangabad MLA Sanjay Shirsat which said that Thackeray was unavailable and flanked by a coterie that cut off access to him.

- Priyanka Kakodkar

Mumbai: The letter also alleged Thackeray that had stopped Sena MLAs from accompanying environment minister Aaditya Thackeray to Ayodhya and that it was Sena MLAs who persuaded Shinde to revolt.

The letter addressed to Thackeray minced no words. "For the last 2.5 years, the doors of your bungalow Varsha (the CM's official residence) were closed to Shiv Sena MLAs. We had to appeal to your coterie many times," said Shirsat, who is part of the rebel faction. "Finally, we used to get a message saying we were called to Varsha. But we were made to wait at the gate for several hours. We used to get fed up and leave." It asked why MLAs, who had been elected from a constituency of 3-4 lakh voters, were insulted in this fashion.