Asked about Thackeray's Vidarbha tour, Shinde said, "One needs to have a broad mind and must support party workers. The one who is insecure cannot develop a party. Late Balasaheb Thackeray used to stand behind us firmly. There is no use of such visits as he has lost what he used to have when we were with him."

"He (Uddhav Thackeray as CM) did not even sign on a single file during his two-and-half year tenure and hardly left his house," he said. Shinde brushed aside speculation of some MLAs of his faction going back to the Uddhav Thackeray camp by asking "who will join a sinking boat?”

Commenting on Ajit Pawar and eight NCP MLAs joining his government, Shinde said,"One has to set aside self interest and ambitions in the family. You cannot suppress an active and well performing person for a long time.”

Shinde denied speculations of a cold war between him and deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis.?"He has a broad mind to accept such a post. There is a lion's share of Fadnavis in making me chief minister. We are friends and we trust each other," Shinde said.