Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis dismissed speculations claiming a “cold war” between him and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Thursday. Fadnavis, making a statement to the media on Sunday, said that there was no rift between them and dismissed speculation that he had overruled decisions taken by Shinde. “There is no war. Those familiar with us know how we function,” he said.
The clarification comes ahead of the budget session of the Maharashtra Assembly, scheduled to commence on Monday. Before the session, Fadnavis convened a cabinet meeting and a traditional tea party which was attended by both Deputy Chief Ministers, Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar. Shinde shared the stage with Pawar at a press conference, and both were seen sharing some light moments, playing down any supposed rift in the ruling coalition.
Sanjay Raut, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader, had previously claimed that a rift between Fadnavis and Shinde existed. Fadnavis, in response, dismissed the allegations and quipped to Javed that Raut appeared to be “competing” with screenwriters Salim-Javed. “There is no conflict. All our partners have full coordination with our allies in the ruling Mahayuti coalition,” he added.
Shinde too denied any friction, cheekily noting that the sole difference was that he and Fadnavis had swapped seats, while Ajit Pawar’s position hadn’t budged. In a witty response, Pawar said, “You couldn’t keep your (palanquin) chair; what can I do? drawing laughter from the leaders. Before the elections, Shinde was Chief Minister, with Fadnavis as his deputy.
Fadnavis also denied media reports that claimed he interfered with decisions made by his predecessor. “I haven’t stopped anything decided by Shinde,” he clarified. Both he and Shinde also rejected allegations made by Raut that Shinde had met the Union Home Minister in Pune at 4 AM to complain against Fadnavis.
Shinde insisted that his meeting with Shah was a regular affair in the routine of the BJP-led NDA. Ajit Pawar clarified that the meeting took place at 10 AM and was merely a courtesy visit. The meeting debunked Raut’s claims by factually mentioning the presence of Fadnavis. Raut had made these claims in an editorial in the Shiv Sena’s mouthpiece, ‘Saamana,’ on Sunday.
Shinde, in response to Raut’s allegations, suggested that a “chemical imbalance in the brain” was causing the opposition leader to act all aggrieved as he cobbled together jibes over the “controversy” surrounding the ruling coalition.