Jai, Veeru and Fevicol ka jod

Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Chief Minister Eknath Shinde share a light moment during the ‘Shasan Aaplya Daari’ (government at your doorstep) programme in Palghar on Thursday. Pic/CM’s team

In the wake of the one-upmanship the Shiv Sena was accused of, CM Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis swore by their long-lasting friendship on Thursday to bury the hatchet they denied ever existed. "Ye Fevicol ka jod hai, tutega nahin [it's a bond that will never break]," Shinde declared at an official function in Palghar, in endorsement of Fadnavis's earlier statement that their friendship and the Sena-BJP alliance wasn't rickety to be broken easily by an advertisement or a statement made by someone.

Fadnavis was referring to the Shinde Sena's media campaign that ranked him below the CM in popularity. Following the adverse reaction from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), a revised campaign was published next day to appease the big ally.

Eerie friendliness

Fadnavis and Shinde travelled together to Palghar for ‘Shasan Aaplya Dari' (government at your doorstep) event. The bonhomie caught the media attention because Fadnavis had skipped the CM's public programme on Tuesday and Wednesday on health grounds. His absence was linked with disenchantment in the BJP camp, but Fadnavis dispelled the assumption by seeking clearance from the doctors for air travel after a two day's break that was advised for soothing his ailing eardrums.

Bhai(and)chara

Addressing the event, Fadnavis said, "When our helicopter landed in Palghar, a media person asked me about travelling together. I said we have been together for 25 years, and our bond has become even stronger in the past one year. We were together yesterday, we are together today and we'll be together tomorrow. You don't need to worry."

Devendra Fadnavis and Eknath Shinde at the ‘Shasan Aaplya Dari' event. Pic/CM's team

He further said they had come together not for power or position, but to bring about a qualitative change in the state's socio-economics and work for the betterment of all. "That is why I think that our government is not rickety to get harmed by an advertisement or a statement made by someone. We are not like our predecessors who fought when a leader spoke first or later (at the programme). We'll be together as long as we fulfil our agenda of changing people's lives for the better," said the Dy CM.

Unselfish jodi

Shinde began where Fadnavis ended. "Our friendship is very old, say 15-20 years. Ye Fevicol ka jod hai, tutega nahi. Whatever you do, it will not break. Some say we are brothers, some say we are like Jai-Veeru and Dharam-Veer. I say our pair is a product of the (saffron) alliance," the chief minister said, adding that the two were not selfish. "The selfish had come together (in 2019), but we corrected that mistake 11 months ago."

The CM moved on to the advertising part. He quoted an exclusive part - 84 per cent popularity quotient of PM Narendra Modi. "Some people like this government and the happy part is that so many people like Modi ji. This is not a Facebook Live sarkar," he said in a jibe to ex-CM Uddhav Thackeray.

The alliance partners were tense since Tuesday, the day the controversial advertisement was published. The comparison between Shinde and Fadnavis had upset BJP leaders, who lashed out at the Sena. The senior leadership did express its displeasure but stayed away from escalating the matter further following the Shinde Sena's revised campaign the next day.