Mumbai: A day after Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis called Uddhav Thackeray power hungry, who, he said, abandoned ideology for power, the latter on Friday said he never wanted to work with traitors so he quit and also demanded that Maharashtra's Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar take a decision on the disqualification of 16 MLAs at the earliest.
He made the demand a day after the Supreme Court gave its verdict on last year's political crisis that resulted in the collapse of the three-party Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government led by him following a rebellion by Eknath Shinde, who later joined hands with the BJP to become the chief minister.
Thackeray's party colleague Anil Parab said they will write to Speaker Nawerkar urging him to take a call on the matter at the earliest. The gift of life to the 16 MLAs is temporary because the Supreme Court has given a reasonable time' and it has limitations. The Speaker must take his decision at the earliest, Thackeray said.
Citing the Supreme Court's judgment that he could have been reinstated as chief minister had he not resigned, Thackeray said this implies that actions of the governor, like calling upon him for a floor test, were illegal.
"This means the existing government is illegal. I am satisfied with my decision because I resigned out of morality," Thackeray said. Taking a dig at Uddhav Thackeray soon after the Supreme Court verdict stonewalled Thackeray's chances of being reinstated as Maharashtra Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday said Thackeray left his ideology for power while his successor Eknath Shinde chose ideology over power.
Fadnavis expressed his views at a joint press meeting with Chief Minister Eknath Shinde here on the day after the Supreme Court verdict came out. Reacting on the comments of Uddhav Thackeray, who demanded the resignations of Shinde and Fadnavis, the Deputy Chief Minister said," It doesn't suit Uddhav Thackeray to talk about morality. I want to ask him if had he forgotten his morals when he went with NCP and Congress for the CM post. He had not resigned on moral grounds but due to fear after people who were with him left him."
On Friday, Uddhav said that the Supreme Court's verdict has exposed the ugly face of the Shinde-BJP government. "I did not want to enjoy power with a bunch of traitors, so I quit. I resigned on moral grounds," he said at a press meet.
Thackeray also dared the Shinde group and the BJP to face the election if they have the courage. Uddhav also warned that if the Assembly Speaker takes a crazy decision, he will knock on the door of the Supreme Court.
Taking a potshot at the BJP, he said the saffron party is plotting through traitors, who have ditched the Shiv Sena. He also demanded the resignation of Narendra Modi as Prime Minister and said Modi should force the Shinde government to step down.
