Mumbai, India

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has accused the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government of conspiring to arrest his current deputy, BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis.

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Shinde claimed that this was part of a broader scheme to undermine the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and possibly entice its MLAs to join the MVA alliance.

"This is what I feel sad about. They had planned everything. I had objected when they said they would arrest Devendra Fadnavis, which could have put the BJP on the back foot, and potentially their MLAs could have joined Maha Vikas Aghadi," Shinde said during an interview with ANI.

Despite his objections, Shinde noted that the MVA leadership was determined to move forward with their plan, which they justified as retaliation for alleged BJP misconduct.

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“It was a case of urban land selling. They planned to implicate me as well in that case. I had some suspicions as I heard about it from some officers but when I became the Chief Minister, I got to know about their full planning,” Shinde said.

Shinde also criticised former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray for allowing undue interference from his family members in government matters.

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“His interference didn’t bother me, but then his family members started interfering, which wasn’t fair,” he said, adding that Thackeray’s behaviour had become increasingly erratic, leaving him puzzled and saddened.

Shinde said that Raj Thackeray had been unfairly sidelined despite his dedication to the party, which he implied was contrary to Balasaheb Thackeray’s wishes.

"BabaSaheb Thackeray ki icchha nhi thi ki Raj Thackeray jaye (Bala sahab Thackeray's never wanted that Raj Thackeray to leave them)," Shinde said.

When asked about Raj Thackeray’s absence from the coalition, CM Shinde responded, "he is with us."

"In the previous Lok Sabha, he came to our stage. If we are not fighting together then he is not against us either. There is still time. I mean, he (Raj Thackeray) deserved it at that time. They were the ones who were working," he said.

(With inputs from agencies)