PM’s Mumbai visit sets agenda for Shinde’s Sena

PM’s Mumbai visit sets agenda for Shinde’s Sena

The visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Mumbai to commission the Mumbai Metro 2A & 7 lines, the Navi Mumbai Metro and other projects running into several crores set an agenda for Shinde’s Sena
‘We are all Modi’s men’

Modi inaugurated & launched projects worth over Rs 38,000 cr. While Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde showered praises on Modi,
Whereas PM Modi exalted the ‘Shinde-Fadnavis jodi’.

While Modi and Fadnavis were seated in near-identical poses grinning whereas PM glanced sideways at a beaming Shinde. The reflection on a glass pane of the Metro coach showed Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari and BJP Mumbai president Ashish Shelar in a jovial mood as well.

While Fadnavis’ caption simply said ‘guess the conversation’, the picture was perhaps telling of the political narrative that Modi’s Mumbai visit on Thursday attempted to set that the coalition of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena may be shaky in its construct (considering the way it came to power in Maharashtra), but both parties are together under the undisputed leadership of the prime minister.

And that Shinde, in his own words from his speech on Thursday, is “one of Modi’s men”.

A day following the PM’s programme, the CM and his deputy also held an hour-long meeting of all MLAs, MPs of the BJP and the Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena, instructing them to take up programmes of the Modi government in their constituencies and to work for all upcoming elections.

One has never heard this type of praise for Modi by any Shiv Sena leader before. The fact that CM Shinde belongs to another party was not stamped anywhere, neither in his own speech, nor the PM’s speech. Even in the photo that Fadnavis shared, Shinde’s body language suggests he is comfortable being one of them (the BJP),”

In his speech at an event on Thursday, Shinde spoke about how his “mind is filled with pure emotions” when he sees and meets Modi.

The CM spoke about his visit to Davos for the World Economic Forum meeting earlier this week, saying how leaders of all countries were only enquiring about Modi.

“Many PMs, presidents, some ministers, all of them were only asking about Modi saheb. The PM of Luxembourg met me and said ‘I am Modiji’s bhakt (fan)’. He took a picture with me and said ‘show this photo to Modiji’. Some people from Germany and Saudi Arabia met me. They said, ‘You are with Modiji, right?’ I said, ‘We are all his men’,” Shinde said.

News Input K.V.Raman