Ahead of Maharashtra Budget Session that starts today, Devendra Fadnavis, the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, after a press conference following a meeting and customary tea party, has refuted the reports of a ‘cold war’ with his Deputy Eknath Shinde.
The Maharashtra CM also jabbed at the opposition for spreading the rumors of rift with his Deputy CMs during a press conference on Sunday.
He said, “There is no war. Those who know both of us will remember what we do when we are together.” Both the Deputy Chief Ministers of Maharashtra, Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar were also part of the press conference. Contrary to the reports circulating, Fadnavis also denied staying any decisions taken by Eknath Shinde; he said, “I have not stayed any decision taken by Shinde.”
While dismissing the reports of ‘cold war’ with his deputy, Shinde said, “Everything is thanda thanda, cool cool. It is just that Fadnavis and I have swapped our chairs. Only Ajit Pawar’s chair is fixed… No matter how many breaking news you give, we (Mahayuti) will not break. What is cold war? There is nothing like that. In this scorching heat of Maharashtra… how is a cold war possible?” Responding to this, Ajit Pawar said, “What can I do if you couldn’t keep your chair?” and everyone burst out laughing.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, along with his deputies, dismissed opposition claims about a rift within the ruling alliance, describing such reports as false. The BJP, Shiv Sena, and NCP, key partners in the MVA coalition, remain united, the leaders emphasized. They also rejected allegations from Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut, who suggested that Shinde had met with Home Minister Amit Shah to lodge complaints against Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis. Shinde clarified that the meeting with Shah, which took place in Fadnavis’ presence, was a routine courtesy call held at 10:00 am.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has criticized the Opposition for boycotting the traditional tea party held before the start of the legislative session. Referring to a letter issued by the Opposition, Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis pointed out that the nine-page letter listed grievances from nine opposition leaders, seven of whom had signed it. Fadnavis claimed that the issues raised were based solely on newspaper reports, and had the opposition read the government’s responses to these articles, they wouldn’t have been able to fill even half a page with their concerns. He further remarked that while the opposition called for dialogue, they chose to boycott the meeting when invited, with no senior opposition leaders attending. Fadnavis added that instead of the unity shown by the ruling alliance, the opposition was now playing a “hum aapke hai kaun” (who are you to us) game.
