Mumbai: Coming down heavily on Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for allegedly supporting Advocate General of Maharashtra, Shrihari Aney over his controversial statement on a separate Vidarbha state, Shiv Sena on Saturday said "this is because of faulty blood".
"Fadnavis and other BJP ministers have firmly supported Aney. This is not surprising. It is a case of faulty blood. What else to expect from those who don't have the blood of 'United Maharashtra' flowing through their veins," an editorial in Sena mouthpiece Saamana said.
"How can Fadnavis say that what Aney said is his personal opinion ? If a minister eats dung, can the CM say it is his personal view ?" the Sena said. There is united Maharashtra today because of the sacrifice of 105 martyrs. The posts of CM and Assembly Speaker exist because there is Maharashtra, it said. "Shiv Sena won't change its stance on the (Vidarbha) issue," it added.
"People like Aney should remember that those like Prashant Bhushan who spoke of plebiscite in Kashmir were beaten up in their office," the editorial said.
Maharashtra State Assembly speaker, Haribhau Bagde, had recently rejected the Shiv Sena's notice on privilege motion against Aney.
The Sena had demanded his removal from the constitutional post for his statement on creating a separate state of Vidarbha.
Aney had said on December 5 at Nagpur that the Centre should hold a referendum for separate state of Vidarbha.
He had also said the 105 persons martyred in January 1960 had not given up their lives for keeping Vidarbha in Maharashtra but only to ensure that Mumbai remained in Maharashtra.
