Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said on Tuesday that development funds had been released to some of the members of parliament who recently joined his Shiv Sena faction, saying their concerns had been addressed after they switched sides.
This comes after six MPs from the opposition Shiv Sena (UBT) joined the ruling Shiv Sena led by Shinde on Monday, in a major setback for the party headed by Uddhav Thackeray.
The lawmakers said they had not received adequate development funds for their constituencies while sitting in opposition, a claim Shinde said had been addressed after their move to the ruling party.
"I have already released funds to some of these Lok Sabha members as it was their prime concern to switch to the Shiv Sena. Prime Minister Narendra Modi supports Maharashtra and has given a lot of funds to the state. That is why these MPs have come to the Sena fold," Shinde said.
The Shiv Sena chief did not disclose the names of MPs to whom development funds have been released. He was speaking to reporters in the premises of Vidhan Bhavan in south Mumbai where the monsoon session of the Maharashtra legislative session is currently on.
Shinde maintained all six MPs were "happy" to join the Shiv Sena, which he insisted, follows the ideology of party founder late Bal Thackeray.
Due procedure and legal formalities were completed with the Lok Sabha Speaker before the rebel MPs from the Uddhav Thackeray-led party joined the Shiv Sena, he asserted.
The Lok Sabha MPs of the Shiv Sena (UBT) who crossed over are: Sanjay Deshmukh (Yavatmal), Sanjay Jadhav (Parbhani), Sanjay Dina Patil (Mumbai North East), Nagesh Patil-Ashtikar (Hingoli), Omprakash Rajenimbalkar (Dharashiv) and Bhausaheb Wakchaure (Shirdi).
The Shiv Sena, a constituent of the ruling Mahayuti coalition led by the BJP, now has 15 parliamentarians, including two members in the Rajya Sabha, Shinde said.
On implementation of a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in Maharashtra, the Deputy Chief Minister said his party has a positive stand and was carrying forward Bal Thackeray's vision on the issue.
Reacting to controversial remarks made by Shiv Sena leader Kiran Pawaskar, Shinde clarified the comments were not against Bal Thackeray and added they should not be distorted or taken out of context.
During the switch over by the MPs on Monday, Pawaskar remarked that the Shiv Sena was "not a daycare" while referring to an old appeal by Bal Thackeray to take care of his son Uddhav and grandson Aaditya.
To a question on Lok Sabha member Rajenimbalkar, Shinde said he was aware of the latter's legal battle and extended full support to him.
Last week, a special CBI court in Mumbai acquitted former Maharashtra Home Minister Padamsinh Patil and seven other accused in the 2006 murder case of Congress leader Pawanraje Nimbalkar and his driver.
Nimbalkar was the father of Sena MP Rajenimbalkar.
Patil is a cousin of Nimbalkar.
After the verdict, Rajenimbalkar said his battle for justice would continue.
Commenting on newly-inducted MP Sanjay Patil's remarks against Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut, Shinde described his party colleague as a "dabang" (fearless) politician who would not be intimidated by "hollow threats".
"As long as Raut keeps talking about me, more and more people will join me," the Shiv Sena chief said.
Shinde said the issue of Raigad district's guardian minister would be resolved soon, adding he had discussed the matter with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and that talks had also taken place between cabinet members Aditi Tatkare and Bharat Gogawale.
Gogawale, a state minister and close aide of Shinde, had earlier expressed displeasure over Tatkare's appointment as Raigad district guardian minister.
(With inputs from PTI)
