Shinde tried to join Cong few years ago: Sanjay Raut

MUMBAI: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Saturday claimed that deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde had in the past tried to join the Congress when the party was in power at the Centre and in the state and even held talks with Congress leader, late Ahmed Patel, in this regard.

Speaking to the media on Saturday morning, Raut claimed, “Shinde was once about to join Congress. You can ask Prithviraj Chavan about it. I know of early morning talks held between Shinde and Ahmed Patel.’’

Raut’s claims come a day after Congress leader Nana Patole invited deputy CMs Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar to join them and take the chief minister’s post on rotational basis.

However, former chief minister Prithviraj Chavan said he was not aware of such developments and refused to comment further.

Meanwhile, the Shinde-led Shiv Sena vehemently denied Raut’s claims. Party MP from Thane and spokesperson, Naresh Mhase, said, “Sanjay Raut makes sensational statements and wants to be in news all the time. If Raut knew that Shinde was going to the Congress, why did the Sena leadership make him a Shiv Sena leader and urban development minister in those days?’’

He added that Shinde had met Chavan, but for constituency-related work only.

Shinde had split the Shiv Sena in 2002 and pulled down the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government. Later the Election Commission of India (ECI) ruled in favour of his faction, giving him Shiv Sena’s official name and election symbol.