On Wednesday, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray met his former ally and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar at Vidhan Bhavan. This marked their first encounter since Mr. Pawar led a vertical split in the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and joined hands with the Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis government to become the Deputy Chief Minister.
Mr. Thackeray, a member of the State Legislative Council, attended the house proceedings, just a day after participating in a key meeting with the Opposition parties in Bengaluru, while Mr. Pawar took part in the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance meeting in New Delhi. It was also Mr. Thackeray’s first visit to the Council after the deputy chairperson and his former colleague, Neelam Gorhe, joined Mr. Shinde’s Shiv Sena.
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“I met Mr. Pawar and extended my congratulations. Having worked with him in 2019, I know his style of functioning. I am confident that people of the State will get aid because he has the keys to the treasury,” the former Chief Minister said.
Mr. Pawar served as Mr. Thackeray’s deputy in the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi government. “I asked him to continue his efforts and to do good work for the State and people,” Mr. Thackeray added.
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Talking about the Opposition parties meeting, the Shiv Sena (UBT) leader said that parties that love the country and motherland have come together and asserted there is now a strong front against ‘dictatorship’.
“The fight is not against any person or party but is against dictatorship. Leaders, Prime Ministers and Chief Ministers come and go. But the precedent that is being created is detrimental to the country. So all parties that love the country and motherland have come together and there is now a strong front against dictatorship,” he said.
Controversy over ‘Vande Mataram’
Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party legislator Abu Azmi sparked controversy after he refused to say ‘Vande Mataram’ in Maharashtra Assembly. “I respect Vande Mataram, but can’t recite it because my religion says we can’t bow down to anyone except Allah,” he said.
While raising the issue of a riot in the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district, Mr. Azmi said chanting the slogan ‘Vande Mataram’ was unacceptable to him. “Some people say that if one has to live in India, `Vande Mataram’ must be chanted. We can not do it. We believe only in one god,” he said.
Following his remark, BJP legislators staged a protest in the House, leading to a ten-minute adjournment of the Assembly.
