CM Thackeray's appeal for unity falls through, Shinde camp rebuts

Mumbai: As the rebel lawmakers continue to hide away in a hotel in Guwahati, playing chess and ludo when they have no meetings, Shiv Sena sent signals to make up with them, settling differences.

Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray of Maharashtra Tuesday made an emotional appeal to them to return to the party, engaging in a dialogue with him to sort out issues.

Uddhav Thackeray reached out to them one day after rebel leader Eknath Shinde said the rebels would return to Mumbai soon, according to The Indian Express.

The chief minister asked them not to fall prey to anyone's missteps and false assurances.

He was 'worried' about the lawmakers as they got 'stuck' there for the past few days, and appealed "I tell you from the bottom of my heart, there is still time"

A day before this appeal the Supreme Court gave relief to the 16 rebel lawmakers from facing disqualification slapped by the deputy Speaker of the Maharashtra Assembly.

Rebel leader Eknath Shinde answered back to Thackeray on Twitter saying the chief minister's son called rebels' names like pigs, dirt, buffalo, dogs, illiterate and corpses while Thackeray appealed to them for saving "anti-Hindu MVA government".

Thackeray's appeal apparently made little impact on the rebel camp with a rebel lawmaker Deepak Kesarkar came out admitting the same to The Indian Express.

Kesarkar asked Thackeray to first come out of MVA set up as a condition for discussion.

The chief whip of the rebel group Bharat Gogawale said that Shiv Sena spokesperson Sanjay Raut's statements ruined everything, thus nothing could happen.