After the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government fell in Maharashtra following a rebellion by Shiv Sena’s Eknath Shinde, who is now the chief minister, senior advocate and Bharatiya Janata Party Rajya Sabha MP Mahesh Jethmalani revealed that he was part of this “operation”. . “for several months.
Jethmalani, who bolstered legal strategies for the rebel camp and the BJP, told CNN-News18 exclusively, “I was actually called on board for legal advice in late 2021. This plan was going on for a long time. This was to be a very long operation. At all times, Mr. Fadnavis was very confident about success, provided it was executed with patience and the right timing. I remember calling all his colleagues saying ‘when are we doing this?’
He said that the master of timing will always be Devendra Fadnavis. “But it was not a breakup due to a conspiracy by the BJP. This was resentment on the part of Shinde. He had a good relationship with Fadnavis and he gradually faded away. There was no pressure on them as it was an alliance formed out of frustration with the present government, especially on ideological grounds. He felt it was not viable,” Jethmalani said. The upcoming municipal elections would have shown that, he maintained, and that was the key to timing.
“I know Mr. Fadnavis is a very patient person. And you can’t really have two-thirds, i.e. 39 out of 54 Shiv Sena MLAs, plus all independent MLAs who support Shiv Sena, unless it is a very long game,” Jethmalani said.
The BJP MP also denied the allegations of the central government for putting pressure through agencies to carry out this rebellion.
“I would just say don’t be jealous of the success. It was an alliance (Shinde-Fadnavis) which was developed systematically. There were many reasons for this. Democracy respects the will of the people. The then leader of the party said that The mandate was hijacked. People of Maharashtra were not happy with it. The real architect of this unholy alliance was Sharad Pawar. So it was only a matter of time, it happened,” Jethmalani said.
He said that dynastic interests cannot be placed above party interests. “If you have gone too far from your brand (Thackeray), you will pay off in politics. Uddhav made a huge mistake,” he said.
Asked whether there could be a rapprochement between the BJP and Shiv Sena overall or between Fadnavis and Thackeray in particular, Jethmalani indicated that it may be too late. “There is a lot of bitterness now, all are masterminds of Sharad Pawar. That bitterness has made alliance difficult, but you never know in politics,” he said.
Jethmalani also praised the new Deputy Chief Minister Fadnavis, “He is very balanced and mature in his strategies. He is adept at garnering loyalty from people. He is great at man-management,” he said. “So I’m not surprised that a lot of people have turned to him.”
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