In his first reaction to the Supreme Court verdict which on Thursday said that Uddhav Thackeray could have been reinstated had he not resigned, the former Maharashtra chief minister said this is not his personal fight to be the chief minister. “My resignation could be a mistake but I am not seeing things like that. I am fighting for the people, for democracy, for the people who follow my father Balasaheb Thackeray,” Uddhav said as he faced the media at a joint press conference which was also attended by Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar.
“I resigned on ethical grounds. Those who were given everything by the party turned traitors and asked me to prove the majority. I did not want to participate in it,” Thackeray said justifying his resignation before the floor test. “Like I took a moral stand, they (Shinde and Fadnavis) should resign now,” Uddhav Thackeray said. “The Supreme Court said if I had not resigned, probably I would been reinstated. But I am not fighting for myself. I am fighting for my country, my state,” Uddhav said.
The Supreme Court on Thursday gave its crucial verdict on the Uddhav versus Shinde case — with both groups having something to cheer for. The Supreme Court did not disqualify the MLAs who joined the Shinde group and said the Speaker will decide who is the real Shiv Sena. Election Commission has already recognised the Shinde faction as the real Shiv Sena with the bow and the arrow symbol.
The Supreme Court called the floor test ordered by then-Governor BS Koshyaru illegal. Since it was that floor test order which precipitated the fall of the Uddhav government, the Uddhav faction interpreted the order as a slap on the incumbent government.
The top court also said Uddhav Thackeray could not be reinstated as the chief minister as he had resigned from the post even before the floor test.
