Mumbai, Agency
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis told media persons here on Wednesday that there will be reasons to "worry" if his alliance partner Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde meets "other" leaders in New Delhi, besides the BJP national leadership.
The statement by Fadnavis came exactly a day after Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde flew to New Delhi on Tuesday, supposedly to meet the BJP national leadership.
Fadnavis did not explain or elaborate about what he meant by "other leaders" or the exact nature of his "worry".
During an interaction with media persons, Fadnavis said, "Eknath Shinde goes to Delhi. There, sometimes he meets Prime Minister Narendra Modi and sometimes union Home Minister Amit Shah. This is a matter of joy for us.
"As long as Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde goes to Delhi and meets our leaders, there is no reason to worry. But when Shinde starts meeting leaders of other parties in Delhi, there will be a reason to worry".
Fadnavis said that the country is ruled by a BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government and the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena is a major constituent of the NDA.
"Eknath Shinde is the head of this party. Various meetings are constantly held in Delhi among NDA parties. Leaders of NDA's constituent parties are invited to New Delhi for discussions. Many times, I too do not get invited to such meetings, because such meetings are meant for the heads of the NDA's constituent parties. That is how Eknath Shinde is invited for such meetings in New Delhi," Chief Minister Fadnavis said.
"I would be happy if Eknath Shinde went to Delhi to meet our leaders," Fadnavis said.
When Fadnavis was asked about who is his favourite Hindutva leader among BJP leaders as well as Maharashtra Fisheries & Ports Minister Nitesh Rane, Sangram Jagtap and Mahesh Landge, the Maharashtra CM replied, "All three leaders work for Hindutva. All three of them are heroes of Hindutva".
However, Fadnavis clarified that first of all, it is necessary to understand the basic thoughts while working for Hindutva. "Tolerance holds an important place in Hindutva. Tolerance is the core of Hindutva and it is important to understand this first," Fadnavis said.
Stating that Hindutva is inclusive, Fadnavis also clarified that it should not be misinterpreted. "Inclusiveness does not mean that if someone wrongs us or attacks us, we should not react in any way. It means that we should not attack anyone first. A Hindu is tolerant and should remain tolerant. Tolerance is the jewel of Hindutva".
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