Shinde asks why he was sidelined in Sena

Mumbai: Recalling how the Shiv Sena leadership had denied him the deputy CM’s post, Eknath Shinde on Monday said that in 2014 Fadnavis had told him he would be getting a big responsibility soon. “But I didn’t react at that time.

- Bhavika Jain

I knew since the party would have to give me the post, they would not take it in the first place, and that is what happened,” said Shinde.

The CM’s assembly speech which lasted almost an hour and 15 minutes was probably one of the longest delivered by a Sena veteran known to be taciturn and measured in his comments. Letting his guard down, Shinde spoke with a deep sense of hurt stemming from the Thackerays’ purported politics of entitlement as well as reluctance to repose faith in a popular leader. He repeatedly said “I’m not a traitor” and “the MLAs with me” have revolted against “the injustice” done to them.