Eknath Shinde calls on Leeladhar Dake, terms his contribution 'valuable'

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Thursday called on veteran Shiv Sena leader Leeladhar Dake to inquire about his health and sought guidance and blessings from him.

Mumbai:Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Thursday called on veteran Shiv Sena leader Leeladhar Dake here to inquire about his health, a statement issued by Shinde's office said. The chief minister visited Dake at his house in Chembur in the morning and it said, "Shinde inquired about their health and well-being, and took his blessings. The senior leader was happy that an ordinary Shiv Sainik has become the chief minister and guided him."

Shinde had last month raised a banner of revolt against the Sena leadership. His rebellion, in which 40 out of the 55 Sena MLAs supported him, led to the collapse of the Uddhav Thackeray-led three-party Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government on June 29. The next day, Shinde took oath as the chief minister with Bharatiya Janata Party's senior leader Devendra Fadnavis as his deputy.

Leeladhar Dake's contribution to the growth of Shiv Sena has been quite significant. Among the few people who were with Balasaheb Thackeray during the formation of Shiv Sena, Dake's name has to be taken first since he also had a close relationship with Anand Dighe. At that time, Dake worked for the growth of Shiv Sena under adverse conditions, Chief Minister Shinde said. He also said that Dake's contribution to Shiv Sena is very valuable.

Last week, Chief Minister Shinde met Shiv Sena MP and senior leader Gajanan Kirtikar. For which Shinde said, "I met him to inquire about his health. I met Leeladhar today." The move to break the Shiv Sena's national executive is said to have been initiated by Shinde, said the political observers.