22 May,2024 06:00 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Gajanan Kirtikar shifted his loyalty to the Shinde camp Amol continued with Uddhav
Shiv Sena leader Shishir Shinde called for the dismissal of party MP Gajanan Kirtikar on Wednesday, accusing him of harming the interests of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's group by publicly supporting his son, Amol Kirtikar, a Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate in Mumbai North West.
Shishir Shinde chastised Gajanan Kirtikar in a letter to the Chief Minister for insulting the party leadership while praising his son. He added that Gajanan Kirtikar's activities suggested a desire to unite with 'Matoshree', the home of Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray (UBT).
"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.
He claimed that Gajanan Kirtikar's activities could harm the party and generate confusion in the public, and he firmly believes that such behaviour should not be accepted.
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"He (Kirtikar) should not act in a way that will hurt the party or lead to confusion among people. This is my firm opinion," he added.
Gajanan Kirtikar previously alleged that CM Shinde offered his son, Amol, a place as an MLC and an invitation to join the party, but Amol declined due to his allegiance to Thackeray. Gajanan Kirtikar justified his comments, stating that they did not break party discipline.
"He refused as he is a loyalist. I don't think that I have violated the party discipline," he said.
Gajanan Kirtikar has been representing the Mumbai North West Lok Sabha constituency since 2014. Following the Shiv Sena split, he joined CM Shinde's group, while his son remained with the Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT), running for the Mumbai North West seat as their candidate.
Kiritkar's family objected to him siding with Shinde
On May 20, after casting his voter, while answering reporters' queries, the MP stated that his family was opposed to the idea of him siding with Eknath Shinde-led Sena. He stressed that his motivations for joining were not driven by fear of legal repercussions or financial gain, but rather by other factors, the PTI report stated.
"Not only my wife, but my daughter was also against me joining the Shinde-led Shiv Sena. I did not join the party for fear of the Enforcement Directorate or for money. My reasons were different, and I had made it clear," Gajanan Kirtikar had told PTI.
