Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Tuesday, while hitting back at the Shiv Sena leadership, said if he and his supporters had been traitors, they would not have received support from the state's people.

Speaking at a rally at Saswad in Pune district, Shinde said the stand taken by him and other Shiv Sena MLAs supporting him "to save Balasaheb Thackeray's Shiv Sena" was vindicated by people's support.