The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government will closely adhere to the principles and ideals laid down by the warrior king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the Chief Minister and Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray said on Thursday while addressing a gathering at Shivneri fort — the birthplace of the Maratha warrior king.
After paying homage to Chhatrapati Shivaji and his mother, Rajmata Jijabai, in Pune’s Junnar taluk the CM promised that his government would strive to ensure justice to the common man. Mr. Thackeray said, “to be Chief Minister of Maharashtra means to follow the path carved out by the deeds of King Shivaji and act in the way he used to do by caring for the poor, the farmers and the women.”
Stating that he would try and create a State that would match the people’s expectations, he attributed his Chief Ministership to the blessings of Shivaji and Jijabai.
“Last year, I had come here and taken a handful of soil [from Shivneri fort] back to Ayodhya…believe it or not, our party did well [in the elections] after this,” he said.
“This responsibility (of CM’s post) which I have got, it was also unexpected. This means it was a blessing of Shivaji Maharaj and Rajamata Jijau,” he said.
He said he has sought blessings of Jijau and Shivaji Maharaj to try and create a Maharashtra of people’s expectations, so that everybody will be proud of the state.
Thackeray also said that a local MLA requested him to rename Junnar tehsil in Pune district as ‘Shivneri’
Mr. Thackeray, along with his wife Rashmi and son, Aaditya (the MLA from Worli) visited the Ekvira temple in Karla near Lonavla.
The temple houses the family deity of late Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray and it has been a custom of Mr. Thackeray to visit the place.
This was Mr. Thackeray’s first visit after becoming Chief Minister. He had earlier visited the temple along with 63 newly-elected Sena legislators soon after the results of the Assembly elections were announced.
