Maharashtra deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde on Monday said he has followed Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray’s principle of “80 percent social work and 20 percent politics” and will continue working for the common man.
His remarks came after the state assembly passed a resolution praising him for receiving the ‘Adya Jagatguru Shri Sant Tukaram Maharaj Puraskar’, a well-known award from the Warkari community earlier this month.
The resolution was passed amid a controversy over stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra’s alleged remarks against Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde.
While chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has sought an apology from Kamra for “insulting” his deputy, the opposition has come out in support of the comedian. However, Shinde has not commented on the matter so far.
Responding to the resolution honouring him with the Sant Tukaram award, he said the award is for the people of Maharashtra and dedicated it to them.
“In my 40-year-long career, I have followed Balasaheb Thackeray’s principle of 80 percent social work and 20 percent politics and pledged to continue working for the common man,” the deputy chief minister said.
“It is due to the work I did as chief minister the state gave a landslide victory (to the Mahayuti comprising the BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP). We will continue to work for the people. Our responsibility has increased,” Shinde added.
He said that he considers himself a “common man.” “We have to make the common man in the state a superman and improve the people’s lives,” he added.
Kamra allegedly referred to Shinde as a “traitor” and performed a parody about him during a show at the Habitat Studio in Mumbai’s Khar area.
The stand-up comedian allegedly used a modified version of a Hindi song from the film Dil Toh Pagal Hai to depict Shinde’s 2022 rebellion against Uddhav Thackeray.
Several Shiv Sena workers gathered outside Hotel Unicontinental on Sunday night, where the studio is located. They allegedly vandalised the studio and parts of the hotel premises, according to the police.
On Monday, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis demanded an apology from Kamra for “insulting” Shinde, while police arrested 12 workers of the Shinde-led Shiv Sena for allegedly ransacking the venue where Kamra made the ‘traitor’ remark.
The Mumbai police registered an FIR against Kamra for making defamatory remarks against Shinde, officials said.
The police also registered a case against 40 Shiv Sena workers for allegedly vandalising the Habitat Studio, where Kamra’s show featuring the “gaddar” (traitor) remark about Shinde was filmed, as well as the hotel where the studio is located.
With PTI inputs
