Shiv Sena leader Shishir Shinde demanded the removal of party’s sitting MP Gajanan Kirtikar on May 22, accusing him of undermining the interests of the faction led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde by supporting his son, Amol Kirtikar, who is the Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate for Mumbai North West.
In a letter to the Chief Minister, Mr. Shishir Shinde stated that Mr. Gajanan Kirtikar had criticised him while expressing support for his son. The former legislator, said that Mr. Gajanan Kirtikar seemed eager to show deference to Matoshree, the residence of Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray.
“Eknath Shinde is our leader and he should behave in an exemplary manner. We expected the same from a senior leader like Gajanan Kirtikar. Amol Kirtikar is your son, and you can speak in his favour, but why defame our leader,” he said in the letter.
The letter further read that the MP should not act in a way that will hurt the party or lead to confusion among people and that was his firm opinion.
Recently, Mr. Gajanan Kirtikar stated that Chief Minister Shinde had offered to make his son Mr. Amol Kirtikar an MLC and invited him to join the party. “He refused because he is a loyalist. I don’t believe I have violated party discipline,” the MP said.
Mr. Gajanan Kirtikar has represented the Mumbai North-West Lok Sabha constituency since 2014. After the Shiv Sena split, he aligned with CM Shinde, while his son remained with the Thackeray-led Sena (UBT). Mr. Amol Kirtikar contested the Mumbai North-West Lok Sabha seat as a Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate.
Published - May 22, 2024 08:14 pm IST
