Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde took a jab at former CM and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray during a televised event, without directly naming him. Shinde questioned the role of a chief minister, saying, "Is a chief minister's job only to do Facebook Live?"
Shinde made these remarks while attending the annual conclave of India Today on Wednesday. During the event, he highlighted the achievements of his government and criticised the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government.
"The chief minister himself inspects the cleaning of drains... I have no shame in doing that," Shinde said.
He continued, "The opposition says, 'Is this the work of a chief minister?'"
Taking a further dig at Thackeray, Shinde asked, "Is a chief minister's job to sit at home? Is the role of a CM limited to doing Facebook Live? A chief minister should be out in the field, meeting people."
Shinde also emphasised his government's commitment to reaching the public, saying, "Our leader Balasaheb Ji used to say that people should not have to come to the ministry; the minister should reach the people. We are doing exactly that. Our 'Sarkar Aapke Dwaar' initiative has benefitted 5 crore people."
It is worth noting that soon after Uddhav Thackeray became the Chief Minister, the COVID-19 pandemic struck globally, limiting people's movement. During the pandemic, Uddhav frequently addressed the public through Facebook Live, a practice for which he was criticized by opposition parties.
At that time, Eknath Shinde was a minister in Uddhav's government. Later, Shinde, with the support of Shiv Sena MLAs, allied with the BJP to form a new government, with Shinde assuming the role of chief minister.
Speculations are rife that the dates for the Maharashtra assembly elections will be announced soon, with the announcement expected in the second week of October.
