Eknath Shinde shares rebel's letter exposing angst of Shiv Sena MLAs about CM Uddhav

Stepping up the ante, Eknath Shinde released a letter penned by a rebel laying bare the angst of Shiv Sena MLAs about Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray. In the letter addressed to Thackeray on Wednesday, Sanjay Shirsat- a three-time Sena legislator from Aurangabad West who is also holed up in Guwahati took a dig at the Thackerays' outreach to the public while leaving the CM's official residence 'Varsha'. Complaining that party MLAs were perenially denied entry into 'Varsha', he alleged that they were humiliated by the unelected associates of the CM. 

Shiv Sena MLA Sanjay Shirsat wrote, "Yesterday, the doors of the Varsha bungalow opened for the common man in a realistic manner. I felt happy at the crowd gathered at the bungalow. These doors were closed to us as Shiv Sena MLAs in the last two and a half years. In order to enter the bungalow as MLAs, we had to entreat the gatekeepers- the people around you who are not elected by the people and those who go to Rajya Sabha and Legislative Council on our strength. These so-called Chanakya workers were framing the strategy for the Rajya Sabha and Legislative Council polls without us. Entire Maharashtra has seen the result." 

"We never got entry into the Varsha bungalow despite having a Shiv Sena CM. The CM meets everyone on the 6th floor of the Mantralaya but the 6th floor didn't matter to us as you never visited the Mantralaya! After requesting multiple times to meet Saheb for work related to the constituency, other questions and personal problems, we would get a reply that you have been called to the Varsha bungalow. But we had to wait at the gate for hours at length. If we called your gatekeepers, they would not receive the call. Finally, we would leave after becoming tired," he added. 

The rebel legislator elaborated, "We ask why your party's MLAs who were elected among 3-4 lakh voters were given such humiliating treatment? All our MLAs have suffered this treatment. But your gatekeepers never listened to our angst and it was not being conveyed to you. But at this time, Eknath Shinde's door was open for us. In the party, only Shinde Sahab would listen to our litany of problems concerning our constituency, MLA funds, bureaucrats and the humiliation meted out to us and would give constructive solutions. That's why, Eknath Shinde was forced to take this decision on the insistence of all MLAs." 

'Didn't get answers to our questions' 

In the letter, the disgruntled Shiv Sena MLA also accused party supremo Uddhav Thackeray of stopping them from visiting Ayodhya during Aaditya Thackeray's recent visit. He also opined, "Saheb, leaders of our real opponents NCP and Congress regularly met you when we were not getting entry into the Varsha bungalow and clearing work pertaining to their constituencies. They were getting letters of funds being sanctioned. They were performing foundation laying ceremonies and inaugurating projects and making viral the photos taken with you." 

Explaining the support of rebels for Shinde, Shirsat stressed, "In this difficult period, Eknath Shinde who preserved the Hindutva of Balasaheb Thackeray and Dharmaveer Anand Dighe gave us a great deal of support. We are with Eknath Shinde in the hope that the doors of his home would continue to be open for us in every difficult situation. Whatever you said yesterday, whatever happened was very emotional. But we didn't get answers to our main questions. That's why I had to write this emotional letter to convey our thoughts to you."