BJP had never promised Uddhav Thackeray CMship: Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray

MUMBAI: Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray on Wednesday endorsed the BJP's claim that Union home minister Amit Shah had never promised the CM's post to Uddhav Thackeray after the 2019 state assembly elections.
"Uddhav Thackeray has been saying all along that Shah agreed to a formula to share the CMship with the Sena for an equal tenure. This was decided at a closed-door meeting between Shah and Uddhav.If this is true then it is strange that Uddhav should remain silent when PM Modi, addressing a poll meeting in Mumbai, made it clear that Devendra Fadnavis would be the saffron alliance's chief minister after the assembly elections. Uddhav was seated on the dais. He could have contested Modi's statement," said Raj Thackeray. He was addressing a party jamboree at Shivaji Park to mark Gudi Padwa.
Lambasting his cousin for recent upheavals in the Shiv Sena, Raj said Uddhav skilfully planned the exit of his rivals in the party even when Balasaheb was alive. "Uddhav saw to it that I and (former Maharashtra CM and currently Union minister) Narayan Rane quit the Sena. His strategy has culminated in the party's sad and unfortunate end," Raj said.
Refuting reports that there was a succession struggle between him and his cousin, Raj said, "On the contrary I sat him down and assured him that I was not interested in snatching the dynasty's baton from him...However, when it came to getting our reconciliation ratified by Balasaheb, Uddhav backed out resulting in my decision to leave the Shiv Sena," he averred.
In his 50-minute speech, Raj Thackeray refrained from using harsh words against the BJP or chief minister Eknath Shinde. However, he ridiculed the Shinde regime's efforts at beautifying Mumbai. "The glittering li-ghts one sees along the roads makes Mumbai look like a nightclub...Shinde should (instead) address urgent issues...such as unseasonal rains, agrarian problems and the present row over the old pension scheme," he said.
Raj Thackeray also praised poet-writer Javed Akhtar for taking Pakistan to task at a recent literary conclave in Lahore. He followed this up with a warning to the government to take measures to stop illegal loudspeakers atop mosques.
The MNS chief also showed drone footage of an illegal construction purportedly in the sea near the Mahim coastline and accused police and the civic administration of not keeping a watchful eye. "The structure should be dismantled, failing which MNS workers will construct a Lord Ganapati shrine there," he said.
Earlier, Thackeray welcomed noted ad industry veteran Bharat Dabholkar into the MNS.