21 September,2024 06:50 AM IST | Mumbai | Dharmendra Jore
Varsha Gaikwad petitions CM Eknath Shinde to stop the mosque demolition. Also present are Milind Deora (left) and Amin Patel
A photograph of city Congress president and MP Varsha Gaikwad's meeting with CM Eknath Shinde has become a topic of heated discussion due to the presence of ex-Congress colleague and Shinde Sena MP Milind Deora there.
The photo, accompanied by a message asking why she required Deora by her side during the meeting, went viral in Congress circles on Saturday. Gaikwad and Congress MLA Amin Patel had petitioned CM Shinde to stall the demolition of a Dharavi mosque late on Friday. However, what seemed to have upset a section of Congress was Deora's presence there.
The photogallery here
The viral message read as if Gaikwad had sought Deora's help to get the CM's appointment at the eleventh hour. "Is Milind Deora running shots in Congress even after deserting and joining Shinde Sena?" read the message, adding that Deora (then in Shinde Sena) had also criticised Congress for delaying Gaikwad's nomination to the Lok Sabha polls.
Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant said: "When she [Gaikwad] arrived, Deora was already present there. There was a Shiv Sena meeting and Deora stayed for the meeting [with Gaikwad] at the CM's behest."
