Maharashtra: Government is stable, Raut says after Pawar-Thackeray meet

There was speculation that Pawar was not happy with Thackeray’s handling of the Covid-19 outbreak, and that the chief minister was unhappy with the NCP chief’s stance on resumption of economic activities in Maharashtra.

A day after Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar met chief minister Uddhav Thackeray amid speculation of a rift in the ruling Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi coalition, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut on Tuesday said there was no need to worry about the stability of the state government.

Pawar reached Matoshree - the Thackeray residence - after meeting Maharashtra governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari. (PTI)

Pawar reached Matoshree - the Thackeray residence - after meeting Maharashtra governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari. There was speculation that Pawar was not happy with Thackeray’s handling of the Covid-19 outbreak, and that the chief minister was unhappy with the NCP chief’s stance on resumption of economic activities in Maharashtra.

In a bid to end such speculation, Raut tweeted, “chief minister Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar met at Matoshreee last evening for 1.5 hours. There are some who are spreading false stories about the stability of this MVA govt. That is nothing but heartburn. This government is stable. Don’t worry.”

The Thackeray government has been criticised by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and opposition leader Devendra Fadnavis for its handling of the Covid-19 crisis. The former chief minister led a protest last week against the state government. Fadnavis is scheduled to address the media via video conference on Tuesday evening.

BJP leader Narayan Rane, who was earlier in the Shiv Sena, also met the governor on Monday and demanded the imposition of President’s Rule in the state, accusing the MVA government of failing to tackle the Covid-19 crisis. He demanded that all government hospitals should be taken over by the military as the existing system had failed.