'Didn't seek moon & stars, kept promise to father': Uddhav justifies BJP split to Raut

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Monday said assuming top post was never his dream or ambition, but when he realised that promise made to his far could t be fulfilled by staying with BJP, he decided to accept bigger responsibility.

'An accidental Chief Minister?'

In an interview to Sanjay Raut, executive editor of Shiv Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana', Thackeray said 'Hindutva' to him means houring word given by him. Asked if he was an 'accidental Chief Minister', Shiv Sena president said, "Maybe."

On breaking ties with BJP and aligning with ideologically different parties like NCP and Congress, Thackeray said such tie-ups were made earlier also, and asserted that interest of state and country was t bigger than any ideology. "I was t new to political power as I have seen my far (late Sena chief Bal Thackeray) wield it since my childhood. What came unexpectedly was chair of power (CM's post)," he said.

'I had option but to accept bigger responsibility'

Thackeray said he had decided that he will go to any extent to fulfil promise made to his far about making a Shiv Sainik Chief Minister of state. "My becoming Chief Minister is first step towards fulfilling promise made to my far," 59-year-old Shiv Sena president said. In an interview to Raut, Uddhav said Shiv Sena chief never accepted post of power and he also never wished for it. "When I realised that I can't achieve promise made to my far by staying with BJP, I had option but to accept bigger responsibility," he said.

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Asked if he had shocked people by accepting post of Chief Minister of an unlikely coalition, Thackeray said, "political shocks are of many kinds". "Promises made are supposed to be fulfilled. re is sadness and anger of breaking a promise and n I had option. I don't kw if BJP has recovered from shock. What big did I ask... moon or stars? I just reminded m about what was agreed upon before Lok Sabha elections," he said.

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Shiv Sena snapped ties with its pre-poll ally BJP last year over issue of sharing Chief Ministerial post in state. Thackeray earlier claimed that a 50:50 formula was "agreed upon" between himself, n BJP president Amit Shah and n Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis ahead of last year's Lok Sabha polls.

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(With ncy inputs)