Congress reaches out to Uddhav Thackeray

A Rahul Gandhi-Uddhav Thackeray meeting is expected soon. File pics

Even as the Maha Vikas Aghadi is fighting its demons, thanks to the Nationalist Congress Party's visible soft corner for the ruling party, and the Veer Savarkar jibe row that involved the top Congress leadership, there was speculation on Friday that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi would soon meet the Maharashtra ex-CM. The meeting would most probably be at Uddhav Thackeray's Mumbai residence, Matoshree, and the Congress leader would actively involve him in the process of opposition unity the Sena (UBT) had stayed away from, as a mark of protest in the Savarkar issue.

The Congress neither denied nor confirmed the plan, saying Gandhji's Mumbai and Maharashtra visits had not been finalised yet. However, Sena (UBT) MP, Sanjay Raut said he had invited Gandhi and his mother Sonia to Mumbai. He said the Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal was slated to meet the ex-CM on the coming Monday, after which a Gandhi-Thackeray meeting could be a strong possibility. "Gandhi has been meeting leaders across opposition parties. The dialogue is good for the opposition's unity for the 2024 polls," he said, adding that Thackeray and Sharad Pawar too have met recently.

Raut put the opposition unity in perspective. "I will tell you what will happen in Maharashtra. The situation is that we can together win 40 out of 48 Lok Sabha seats. I had told the same to Rahul and Sonia Gandhi before extending an invitation to them to visit Mumbai and Maharashtra. We should sit and talk together," he stated further, adding that the Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge had a discussion with Thackeray ahead of Venugopal's visit. If such a meeting happens, it will be the first ever to take place between any of the Thackeray and Gandhi family members, including earlier generations, exclusively at the Kalanagar residence. The families have met at other venues in Mumbai and New Delhi.

‘Because Shah's coming'

Also read: Uddhav will attend Sunday's 'Vajramuth' rally, says Raut; mocks BJP over plans to stop gathering

The development came ahead of the MVA's second joint rally to be held in Nagpur on Sunday, the day home minister Amit Shah will be in Mumbai and Navi Mumbai for the party and public events. Shah will be the chief guest at the state government's Maharashtra Bhushan award ceremony in Navi Mumbai. Social reformer and spiritual guru Appasaheb Dharmadhikari is to be conferred the award. The event, to be held at Corporate Park ground in Kharghar, is expected to be attended by several lakh Dharmadhikari followers. One of MVA's rallies will be held in Mumbai as well. Sources said Gandhi could attend the rally along with senior leader Sharad Pawar and Thackeray. The occasion could be extended to visit Thackeray, with or without the NCP boss.

Bharatiya Janata Party state President Chandrashekhar Bawankule said Gandhi should visit Maharashtra only after tendering an apology for insulting Savarkar. "Or else, we will not let him set foot here…" he said, evoking an angry reaction from his Congress counterpart Nana Patole, who said, "We dare them to touch Gandhi's hair… we will see…"

‘Thackeray will go to Gandhi'

City BJP president Ashish Shelar said instead of Gandhi coming down to Mumbai, Thackeray will go to the Congress leader because he hasn't spared doors for support ever since they have quit the real Hindutva. "One day it is Tejaswi Yadav, next Kejriwal and then TRS… Now they will knock on the doors of Rahul Gandhi. The (Thackeray) residence, Matoshree had respect when Uddhav followed the late Balasaheb Thackeray's ideology. "Uddhav and Aaditya have diminished the great importance of Matoshree ever since they have been reaching out to the various doors to seek support," he said in
a statement.

Shelar said the Opposition's rant was out of Amit Shah's fear. "They are scared ahead of the storm that Shah will bring along, and make noises from their tiny burrows." The BJP president ridiculed Raut's prediction of winning 40 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra. "Raut is living in a dream. We have a remedy for it," he added.

40
No of seats in Lok Sabha expected to be won by MVA coalition