If Fadnavis expresses his desire to become Prime Minister, I will support him:
Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray said on Monday that he is a “well-wisher” of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and will support him if he aspires to become Prime Minister.
Addressing a press conference in Shirdi, Thackeray said, “If he (Fadnavis) thinks I am his enemy, let me tell you that I am his well-wisher. I am speaking his mind.”
Thackeray claimed that plans are being made to prevent Fadnavis from contesting the Prime Ministerial race in 2029. He said, “If someone from Maharashtra is going to become Prime Minister, why wouldn’t my party support him?”
Thackeray said that if Fadnavis announces his candidacy for the Prime Minister’s post, it would be like committing “political suicide” for him in the BJP. He questioned whether Fadnavis would even be able to remain in his party if he announced he was preparing for the Prime Minister’s post.
Addressing a rally in Shirdi, Thackeray said that the party to which Lok Sabha member Bhausaheb Wakchaure had joined had been ousted from power. Wakchaure recently joined the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and represents the Shirdi Lok Sabha constituency.
Thackeray said that during his visit to the Shirdi temple, he prayed to Sai Baba to protect Fadnavis’s “chair.” He alleged that Union Home Minister Amit Shah was behind the joining of six Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs to the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena.