Parab’s colleagues step in for damage control

As Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray’s trusted lieutenant Anil Parab was busy facing a volley of questions from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on the money-laundering charges, Parab’s party colleagues stepped in to handle the situation on Tuesday morning. Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut, Thackeray’s close aide Milind Narvekar, and party secretary Anil Desai along with MP Arvind Sawant and legislator and chief whip Sunil Prabhu constituted the CM’s crisis management team after Eknath Shinde’s open rebellion.

Parab has been one of Sena’s key strategists, and his management skills have been appreciated by Thackeray for several years now. Narvekar, who was sidelined for quite some time, was back in action, considering his proximity to Shinde and some “missing” MLAs.

A Sena functionary said phone calls between Varsha, CM’s official residence, and the key leaders began in the early hours after they learnt that Shinde was incommunicado. Two emissaries - Narvekar and Ravindra Phatak – left for Surat with the Sena chief’s message to engage in dialogue with the party.

Though it could not be independently verified, some Sena insiders said Thackeray’s wife Rashmi spoke to Shinde over phone.