While Sanjay Raut of UBT Sena asked if it would be fine if his party’s leaders started having tea with CM Eknath Shinde or leaders of the Shinde group, state Congress chief Nana Patole sought to know why the meeting, which took place at a businessman’s house on Saturday, was a secret one.
Raut and Patole said the meeting of the Pawars had figured in the discussions between Uddhav Thackeray and Patole that took place on Sunday evening. Patole said the matter had also been brought to the notice of Rahul Gandhi.
While both UBT Sena and Congress said such meetings created confusion in the MVA, Sharad Pawar said on Monday there was “no confusion” within the MVA over his meeting with Ajit and added MVA would ensure the INDIA bloc meeting in Mumbai on August 31 and September 1 would be successful.
Is it fine if we sip tea with Shinde: UBT Sena on Pawar meeting Ajit
Expressing strong displeasure over the ‘secret meeting’ between Sharad Pawar and deputy CM Ajit Pawar, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday asked if it would be fine if UBT Sena leaders started having tea with CM Eknath Shinde or leaders of the Shinde group. Taking a dig at Pawar, Raut said “at least Bhishma Pitamah” is not expected to take a stand that would create confusion.
Raut said the meeting between Sharad Pawar and Ajit, which took place in Pune on Saturday, was discussed when state Congress chief Nana Patole met Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray at Matoshree on Sunday evening. “An atmosphere of confusion is frequently created in Maharashtra. So the impact on MVA was discussed,” he said.
Raut further said, “I read Rohit Pawar’s statement and the one by Sharad Pawar. Sharad Pawar said he (Ajit) is my nephew. Rohit Pawar’s statement was about taking care of relationships. But why should activists fight on the streets then? What will happen tomorrow if we start drinking tea every day with Eknath Shinde or his unscrupulous faction? Do the leaders sit with them, maintain relationships and the workers then fight against each other for our ideologies? Shiv Sena has no such hypocrisy in its DNA.”
He added, “This is a battle for the country and the state. In it, like in the Mahabharata, we cannot care about our own selves, friends, relatives. This is a battle to preserve the identity of Maharashtra and the existence of the country… If anyone challenges us by joining hands with the wrong people, they are not our kin.”
At the same time, Raut said Pawar was the leader of the MVA and a leader of the INDIA alliance. “He is the guide for all of us. But with whom and when should one communicate? We think about how that stand will affect the politics we do. We had a very good friendship with Eknath Shinde. He was a friend of many years. We were friends with Raj Thackeray. These are relationships. But it is our position that when our paths diverge in politics, senior leaders should take care that there is no confusion in the minds of voters,” he said.
Saamna too slammed Pawar Sr over the meeting, saying it was “funny” he did not avoid these meetings and asked if “BJP’s Chanakya” was pushing Ajit for such meetings just to create confusion.
