Fadnavis contributed to me becoming CM, says Shinde

First India Bureau

Mumbai: Chief Minister Eknath Shinde heaped praise on Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday. He credited the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) with contributing toward him bagging the top post in the state.

Addressing media persons here, Shinde said, “I never thought that I would become the chief minister. We did not rebel for that.”

On him becoming the CM, Shinde asserted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah took a decision contrary to what was in the minds of our opponents.

Without naming Uddhav Thackeray, the CM commented, “The opposition thought that BJP leadership would not make Eknath Shinde the chief minister, but PM Modi and UHM Amit Shah made a

The opposition thought that BJP leadership would not make Eknath Shinde the chief minister, but PM Modi and UHM Amit Shah made a worker like me the CM. Devendra Fadnavis also has a massive contribution to it.”

— Eknath Shinde, Maha Chief Minister

worker like me the CM. Devendra Fadnavis also has a massive contribution to it.”

When asked whether Shinde rebelled against the Shiv Sena to become the CM, he said, “It is incorrect. We did not rebel for that. I had to take this step, along with 40 other MLAs for the benefit of the peo- ple of the state. We established this government to respect the votes of the public. We put in effort after the (2017) elections to form a government with BJP, but despite that, Maha Vikas Aghadi (government) was formed with Congress and NCP (Nationalist Congress Party).”