Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Friday evening, along with Congress president Sonia Gandhi and senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader LK Advani. The meetings are scheduled between 5.30 pm and 8 pm.
In what is being termed as a ‘courtesy call’ this will be Uddhav Thackeray’s first official meeting with all three leaders since he took charge as the chief minister of Maharashtra in November.
Accompanied by minister for protocol, tourism and environment, Aaditya Thackeray, the CM left for Delhi from the Mumbai airport at about 1.00 pm on Friday afternoon. He is likely to be joined by senior Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) ministers in New Delhi, ahead of the scheduled meetings.
Shiv Sena leader and Member of Parliament Sanjay Raut confirmed on Thursday about the meeting between the chief minister and the Prime Minister, and a senior Sena leader on Friday confirmed to Hindustan Times, that Thackeray will also meet Sonia Gandhi while in Delhi. He said, “Of course he has planned to meet Sonia ji. There is no doubt about that. There is no agenda for this meeting as such.”
The meeting between the Congress party chief and the CM comes in the midst of a difference of opinion in the MVA between implementation of the NPR in the state. While Congress and NCP have reservations about its implementation, the CM had indicated earlier this week that he will not block implementation of the NPR in Maharashtra.
{{/usCountry}}The meeting between the Congress party chief and the CM comes in the midst of a difference of opinion in the MVA between implementation of the NPR in the state. While Congress and NCP have reservations about its implementation, the CM had indicated earlier this week that he will not block implementation of the NPR in Maharashtra.
{{/usCountry}}Indicating that development issues pertinent to Maharashtra such as funds for state issues and infrastructure projects would be discussed, Raut said on Friday, “Other matters regarding the evolving centre state relations will also be discussed. These are routine discussions, when leaders who hold important positions meet.”
While the agenda for meetings between the chief minister, PM Modi and Sonia Gandhi has not been decided, officials in the CM’s office said contentious issues like implementation of the National Population Register, handing over of the Elgar Parishad case to NIA, and GST relief funds from the Centre to state are likely to be discussed.