National: Days ahead of the upcoming assembly polls, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde accused Uddhav Thackeray of being the reason behind the split in Shiv Sena and said that the Mahavikas Aghadi government was against Balasaheb Thackeray's ideals while the Shiv Sena and BJP's alliance was the right way forward.

Justifying the split in the party, Shinde said that Uddhav formed an alliance with Congress against the will of Balasaheb Thackeray just to serve his "personal interests" and hence, following the party's discipline and to bring change, he formed a coalition with the BJP.

In an exclusive interview with ANI, speaking in the split in the party, CM Shinde said, "I was part of the Mahavikas Aghadi government, but the government that was formed, it was against Balasaheb Thackeray's ideals. Shiv Sena and BJP's alliance was the right way forward. However, Uddhav Thackeray's personal interests led to an alliance with Congress, which Balasaheb never wanted."

"As Shiv Sena workers, we followed party discipline and realized the need for change. We attempted to form a Shiv Sena-BJP coalition government but we failed and unfortunately, the loss our party and workers were bearing, we decided to listen to Maharashtra's people, who wanted a Shiv Sena-BJP alliance. Our MLAs were also tired as no work was done in their respective constituencies, hence, we changed the government and formed a new government with the coalition of BJP and Shivsena," he added.

Lauding the Mahayuti government, CM Shinde expressed pride that this government prioritised people's interests over personal gains. He said that the Mahayuti government restarted the projects that were stalled by the MVA regime.

Highlighting Mahayuti's achievement, CM Shinde said that Maharashtra topped in several spheres, whether GDP, FDI, GST, or cleanliness during their regime. He added that the state attracted investments of more than ₹ 5 lakh crore during their regime only.

CM Shinde said, "I'm proud and happy that we prioritized the people's interests over personal gains. In the past two years, our government has received praise for its work.... From the very first day, we focused on farmers, workers, youth, and development projects. We restarted stalled projects like metro, bullet trains, and highways, making Maharashtra investment-friendly. Today, I proudly say we've attracted over ₹ 5 lakh crore investments, with 72-80 per cent execution in the last two and half years. During the MVA regime, Maharashtra was in third spot, but when we came, Maharashtra topped in GDP, FDI, GST, and cleanliness. Our welfare schemes, like Ladli Bahna Yojana, etc provide stipends and free higher education to girls. We've achieved a lot in two years, and I'm grateful."

When asked about opposition dubbing his government a puppet of the central government, CM Shinde said that ever since the double-engine government came to power in Maharashtra, the state has received several benefits from the centre. He said that the 'hard work' of the Mahayuti government has been appreciated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.

Shinde said, "I'm happy that our government's hard work in the past two years, is appreciated by PM Narendra Modi and Amit Shah... Modi Ji is happy with our work and whenever he comes, he gives something to the state. Our double-engine government, with the centre and state on the same page, has benefited Maharashtra... I'm committed to serving the common man, directly interacting with people, and helping those in need."

In a veiled attack on the previous MVA regime, CM Shinde said that being a CM means serving the people and not just running the government through FaceBook Live. He emphasised that their government listens and acts and is not deaf or dumb.

"Our government prioritizes farmers, providing aid and support. We've allocated ₹ 15,000 crores for farmers and implemented various schemes. This is the farmers' government. I'm proud of our responsive government, listening to people's concerns. We're not deaf to their needs. The opposition's allegations are unexpected, as they underestimated our capabilities. For me, being CM means serving the people, not just sitting in an office or doing Facebook Live. We're a government that listens and acts, our government is not deaf or dumb," he said.