Farmers Movement Archive

No intention of joining hands with Sena again, says Fadnavis

Leader of Opposition and senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday said his meeting with Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut on Saturday afternoon was not political in nature. Mr. Fadnavis said his party will not bring down the Maha Vikas Agahdi (MVA) government, but will wait for it to crumble under its own weight. The meeting created a flutter in political circles in the State, with claims that the MVA government’s stability would be under threat if the Sena and the BJP join hands again. It later turned out that Mr. Raut, the executive editor of the Sena mouthpiece, Saamana , held the meeting with the former chief minister to discuss an interview for the newspaper. “Mr. Raut has said in the past that he wants to interview me. However, I have certain conditions. I want this interview to go unedited. There will be my cameras as well. We wanted to discuss the interview in detail and therefore we sat down for it,” said Mr Fadnavis. He added that there was no political discussion. “There was no discussion about formation of a government headed by the Sena and the BJP. There is no reason for it. People are already agitated over the functioning of the State government. We as a strong Opposition party are holding the government accountable for its every action. This government will fall on its own and when it falls, we will think about forming the new government. We are in no hurry,” said Mr. Fadnavis. The Sena snapped ties with the BJP last year after the Maharashtra Assembly polls over the issue of sharing the chief ministerial post. The Uddhav Thackeray-led party then joined hands with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Congress to form MVA government in the State. Mr. Raut, who spoke to reporters separately, downplayed the visit saying both of them are no enemies to not have a meeting, which was pre-planned to discuss the interview schedule. “Maharashtra’s politics is about ideological differences and not personal differences. I used to meet Sharad Pawar even when we were in an alliance with the BJP. Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray was well-aware of our meeting,” he said Meanwhile, Mr. Pawar, NCP chief and Rajya Sabha MP, had a 40-minute discussion with Mr. Thackeray at his residence on Sunday, in the backdrop of the meeting between Mr. Fadnavis and Mr. Raut. Sources said the future unlocking process and the COVID-19 situation in the State were some of the issues that were discussed during the meeting. However, Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam criticised Mr. Raut, alleging that he was in a hurry to grab headlines. “When that happens, political careers end. This is not my ill-wish for Mr. Raut, but a reality,” he said. ‘Reveal stand on Bills’ Mr. Nirupam, who was removed as Mumbai Congress chief ahead of the Lok Sabha polls last year, said if the party is serious about opposing the new farm Bills, it should first ask the Sena to spell out its stand. The Congress and the NCP say they will not allow the implementation of the new laws in Maharashtra, while the Chief Minister hasn’t uttered a word on it, he said. “The Sena supported the Bills in the Lok Sabha, while it staged a walkout in the Rajya Sabha when other Opposition parties were demanding a vote on it,” Mr. Nirupam said. (With PTI inputs)

The Hindu

2020-09-28

Mumbai