Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray met chief minister Devendra Fadnavis at his official residence ‘Varsha’ on Thursday, triggering fresh speculation in state political circles about possible realignments.
The strategic timing of the summit has only added fuel to the fiery rumours. The meeting came a day after the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) and MNS, contesting together for the first time, suffered a major setback in the BEST Employees’ Co-operative Credit Society elections. Their joint panel failed to secure even one of the 21 seats.
However, the leaders have so far quashed the mounting buzz of rapprochement, with Raj Thackeray suggesting the meet was purely non-political and not aimed at any reconciliation.
Raj said he made a presentation before Fadnavis in the presence of the Mumbai Police Commissioner and Joint Commissioner (Traffic).
According to his media briefings after the meeting, Raj Thackeray talked about Mumbai's traffic woes. He also pressed for colour-coded footpaths for parking and stricter laws to check traffic violations. “Work has to be done on a war footing,” he added.
Meanwhile, deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar dismissed speculation over the Thursday meeting, saying, “Many leaders meet one another as well as with the chief minister, irrespective of whether they are in power or not. Maintaining communication with each other is the tradition of the state. There is no need to give a political angle to this meeting,” he said.
Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut also downplayed the development, saying, “Raj Thackeray has not committed a political crime by meeting the CM. They have met several times in the past. Thackeray must have gone to invite Fadnavis for the upcoming Ganesh festival at his residence.”
What Raj Thackeray said
{{/usCountry}}Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut also downplayed the development, saying, “Raj Thackeray has not committed a political crime by meeting the CM. They have met several times in the past. Thackeray must have gone to invite Fadnavis for the upcoming Ganesh festival at his residence.”
What Raj Thackeray said
{{/usCountry}}MNS chief Raj Thackeray said his discussions with the state government focused on the growing traffic problem in Mumbai and other cities of Maharashtra
“The topic was the traffic problem that has arisen in all cities of the state, including Mumbai, and some solutions we proposed,” Thackeray told reporters.
He said everyday issues like parking and congestion were being overlooked. “We are stuck on issues like pigeons and elephants, but we are not paying attention to problems like parking. Traffic congestion is the most serious issue, and there is a need to look at all of this with open eyes and implement long-term solutions,” he said.
Thackeray added that he had put forward suggestions to the government. “We made some suggestions to the government regarding all this. The chief minister responded positively to them,” he said.
“Thereafter, while interacting with the media, we presented the details of the discussions in this meeting,” Thackeray added.
Sena (UBT)-MNS alliance under scrutiny
The meeting comes against the backdrop of talk about a possible alliance between the Sena (UBT) and the MNS in upcoming local body polls, after the two Thackeray cousins shared a stage last month over issues of Marathi identity and the “imposition” of Hindi.
However, the alliance’s poor showing in the BEST credit society polls has cast doubts on its electoral strength.
Reacting to the outcome, Fadnavis said on Wednesday: “I think there was no need to politicise this kind of election, as it was just a credit society poll. But they politicised it by making tall claims that the Thackeray brand will win. But it seems people did not like it. The poll outcome reflected rejection by the people.”