MUMBAI: Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray met newly-inducted deputy chief minister and state finance minister Ajit Pawar in his chamber at Vidhan Bhavan on Wednesday. Heaping praise on Ajit Pawar, Uddhav said, “He was with me for 2.5 years. I know his nature. I am sure people will be helped by Ajit Pawar in time even if power games are started by other people. This is possible because the keys to the state’s treasury have been given back to him.” Ajit had been finance minister in the previous Thackeray-led MVA government.
The meeting was seen as significant as Ajit had attended the NDA meeting in New Delhi on Tuesday after two back-to-back meetings with NCP founder Sharad Pawar in Mumbai, while Thackeray was at the opposition front’s meeting in Bengaluru on Tuesday.
Uddhav has not met CM Eknath Shinde or any of the Sena MLAs who joined Sena since they split from the Sena in June last year, so his meeting with Ajit after the latter joined the Shinde-Fadnavis government raised eyebrows in political circles.
Uddhav reiterated the opposition’s coming together was not against any person but against dictatorship.
Loaded: 0.00%FullscreenThackeray said after the meeting, “I wished him (Ajit Pawar) good luck for doing good work for the state. Issues facing the state are important amid the hoarding of power going on in the state now. It has started raining, and there is a flood-like situation. Farmers have been upset due to lack of rain, and now they may be upset due to heavy rain. However, I have requested Ajit Pawar not to let the people, farmers and citizens of the state be ignored in the process of hoarding power.”
Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray was also present during the meeting.
Source: The Hindu