Maharashtra: Do good work for state, treasury keys are in your hands: Uddhav Thackeray to Ajit Pawar

Uddhav Thackeray. File Pic

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday met his former ally and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar for the first time after the NCP leader joined the Eknath Shinde government, reported the PTI.

Uddhav Thackeray, a member of the state legislative council, attended the house proceedings for a brief period. It was also his first visit to the legislature after deputy chairperson Neelam Gorhe, his one-time party colleague, joined the Shinde-led rival Shiv Sena.

I asked him to do good work for the state and people, Uddhav Thackeray said after meeting Ajit Pawar, who is also the finance minister, at his office, according to the PTI.

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Former Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray noted that he had worked with Ajit Pawar in his cabinet and knew his style of functioning. Ajit Pawar was Uddhav Thackeray's deputy in the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government.

I am confident that people of the state will get aid because he has the keys to the treasury, Uddhav Thackeray added.

Earlier this month, Ajit Pawar and eight other Nationalist Congress Party MLAs joined the Shinde government, virtually splitting the party founded by Sharad Pawar.

Meanwhile, a day after 26 opposition parties formed the I-N-D-I-A coalition, Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday said that the parties that love the country and motherland have come together. He asserted there is now a strong front against dictatorship, according to the PTI.

Talking to reporters on the premises of Vidhan Bhavan, Uddhav Thackeray stressed that 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, Thackeray said.

In a meeting of 26 opposition parties, which included the Sena (UBT), in Bengaluru on Tuesday, a proposal was adopted unanimously to name their coalition the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (I-N-D-I-A).

The original suggestion was to call it Indian National Democratic Inclusive Alliance, but the word democratic was replaced with developmental after some leaders said it sounded too similar to the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

Thackeray also participated in the meeting.

(with PTI inputs)