By Quaid Najmi

Mumbai, Jun 22 (IANS): The Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) on Thursday ridiculed a ruling Shiv Sena Minister Deepak Kesarkar's claims that Chief Minister Eknath Shinde would have 'shot himself' if the rebellion in June 2022 had fallen flat.

Congress' Chief Spokesperson Atul Londhe said that this was nothing but a 'blackmail tactic' adopted by the Shiv Sena against its ally Bharatiya Janata Party, like the recent advertising blitzkrieg.

"Is Kesarkar now implying that what didn't happen then could still be a possibility...?" asked Londhe, trailing off mysteriously.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP and Chief Spokesperson Sanjay Raut demanded Kesarkar's arrest "for suppressing the information he knew about someone's intent to end his/her life".

"What Kesarkar has said is indeed grave. The police must question him immediately. He is a Minister and is suppressing somebody's expressed intention of committing suicide," said Raut.

Raut expressed concern that in view of Kesarkar's utterance, "what if something happens after the Maharashtra Assembly Speaker gives his ruling" on the disqualification of 16 MLAs which includes Shinde also.

Nationalist Congress Party's National Spokesperson Clyde Crasto demanded an investigation to ascertain "if Shinde was being pressured with an adverse action if he failed to fulfil his (uprising) task" last year.

"Otherwise, why should a person of Shinde's political standing want to even consider such a drastic step upon failure," asked Crasto.

Sena (UBT) National Spokesperson Kishore Tiwari wonders whether the state has got a CM with a 'disturbed mind' owing to the revolt that toppled the erstwhile government headed by ex-CM Uddhav Thackeray, and "deserves to be sent to a rehab centre or an institution".

"If a person like Shinde could get suicidal ideas, then how will he help the people or the farmers of the state who are also ending their lives in large numbers? It's for the CM to immediately clarify whether Kesarkar's contention is true or not, or sack him for revealing 'political secrets' like this," demanded Tiwari.

NCP Chief Spokesperson Mahesh Tapase asked whether "Shinde was experiencing pangs of guilt and anxiety during the rebellion against his own party" at that time and "even now after becoming the CM".

"The Thackeray family gave so much respect and so many positions to Shinde, yet he chose to go with the BJP and bring down the MVA government. Now the same once-all-powerful Shinde is reduced to a puppet in the BJP's hands," said Tapase.

Kesarkar's shocking statements came a year after the June 2022 'uprising' which saw 40 (of 56) Shiv Sena MLAs plus 10 other Independents, 13 (of 19) MPs, and two MLCs throwing their lot with Shinde and bringing down the Thackeray administration.

After the rebellion succeeded, Shinde was anointed the CM on June 30, 2022, with his breakaway Shiv Sena faction supported by the BJP.

Tapase and Tiwari pointed out that despite being the CM, Shinde is unable to do anything without the green signal of BJP's Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis, and there are murmurs of discontent from various leaders in the Shiv Sena and the Independents supporting them.

"In June 2022, Shinde may have been under pressure from his own supporters, but there's no denying today that much greater pressures are exerted by the BJP on the CM," said Tapase.