Picture of Shinde's son sitting in CM’s chair goes viral

MUMBAI:  A picture of Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde’s son Shrikant sitting in the CM’s chair has gone viral, drawing Opposition barbs that Shrikant is a ‘super CM’ and that he should respect the dignity of the chair. Shrikant Shinde is a Lok Sabha MP.

“The Opposition is trying to malign my image. The place in the photo is our private residence in Thane, where my father and I have attended to people’s problems for years. It is not an official residence of the CM nor his government office,” said Shrikant. 

He said he was a two-term MP and was aware of the protocol. “Today, the CM  had a video conference, for which the ‘Maharashtra government’ board was kept behind the chair, but I did not know that. Someone has done mischief by secretly clicking photos and sharing them,” said the CM’s son.  In the picture, Shrikant Shinde, the MP from Kalyan, is seen sitting in a chair with a board with “Maharashtra Government-Chief Minister” written behind. 

In an apparent jibe at Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, he also said his father works for 18 to 20 hours a day, and “unlike earlier chief ministers who sat in one place, he is always on the move.” Thackeray had faced criticism for rarely stepping out of home when he was chief minister during the coronavirus pandemic. The state NCP’s youth wing leader Ravi Varpe shared the viral picture on social media. “Best wishes to Shrikant Shinde for becoming the super CM. In the absence of the Chief Minister, his son is in charge of the CM’s post. What kind of Raj Dharma is this?’’ 

Varpe claimed that the photo that he had uploaded in his tweet was from the CM’s official residence. “The chief minister is busy at Ganapati Mandals the responsibility of seeing the work of other people in the state has been given to Srikant Shinde,” he said.  Meanwhile, Shiv Sena MLC and spokesperson Manisha 
Kayande also criticised the CM over the viral picture.

‘My father always on the move, not like older CMs’

In an apparent jibe at Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, he also said his father works for 18 to 20 hours a day, and “unlike earlier chief ministers who sat in one place, he is always on the move.”  Thackeray had faced criticism for rarely stepping out of home  when he was chief minister during the coronavirus pandemic