Balasaheb Thorat also denied that Congress was upset by bureaucrats. (File)
Mumbai:
While the Maharashtra Congress was sulking about not having enough to say in the government of Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), party chairman Balasaheb Thorat met with chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday and later said that his party did not did not feel left out and that the alliance was stable. .
Mr. Thorat, who met with the chief minister at the residence of the latter “Matoshree” in Bandra, was accompanied by his ministerial colleague and senior congress official Ashok Chavan.
Mr. Thorat then said that at the meeting, issues such as how to help the poor facing hardship due to the coronavirus pandemic and the need to implement the “Nyuntam Aay Yojana” (Nyay ) in the state, had been discussed.
The Nyay program, an original idea of Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, was launched before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Thorat, who is the state’s finance minister, said that Congress was not shying away from the MVA alliance led by Shiv Sena.
“We have come together so that the alliance protects the interests of the common man, which is our agenda. The alliance is stable and will do a good job for the next five years. Congress does not feel put on the line. “gap. We only want an equal distribution of development funds,” he said.
“Rahul Gandhi presented the Nyay program to the country. It must be implemented nationally. The poor are in a critical situation,” said Mr. Thorat.
He said that outside of the Nyay program, discussions also revolved around the compensation package for areas affected by Cyclone Nisarga.
“There are certain issues that need to be discussed face to face. Some issues cannot be discussed in large meetings. Today’s interaction has been positive,” he said.
Asked about appointments to 12 seats in the Legislative Council on the governor’s quota, he said: “When the government was formed, it was decided that the distribution of seats in the Council would be equal. There is therefore no discussion about it. “
He also denied that Congress was upset by the bureaucrats, especially chief secretary Ajoy Mehta.
“We have not discussed it,” he said.
The meeting of congressional leaders with the CM is important, as the party has recently begun to assert its views in the decision-making process of the MVA government.
As the chief minister met with NCP chief Sharad Pawar on important issues, including the coornavirus pandemic and helping victims of Cyclone Nisarga, it had created a feeling among congressional leaders that they were excluded, Congress sources said.
The Shiv Sena called the congress Tuesday “creaky old cot” after the party led by Sonia Gandhi complained of not having enough say in the ruling coalition.
The “Saamana” editorial said that internal resentment was inevitable in an alliance of parties of different ideologies.
Congress was an old party with a historic legacy where the whispers of resentment are over, he said.
