Shiv Sena tells BJP & Fadnavis that Uddhav govt will last; calls MVA fissures 'liveliness'

Exuding confidence that the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government will complete its full-term, Shiv Sena in its mouthpiece Saamana dismissed the rumors about the rift between the MVA partners. The editorial states that rumours are being spread to project BJP leader and former CM Devendra Fadnavis as a 'strong opposition.' It has slammed the Maharashtra unit of BJP for attempting to create a fissure in the MVA  government since it assumed power. Terming the meeting between NCP supremo Sharad Pawar and CM Uddhav Thackeray as 'etiquette', the editorial has said that the disagreements among the ruling partners exhibit the 'liveliness' of the government. 

The editorial has also slammed BJP leaders in the state for pointing out the lapses in the health system, claiming that it demotivates the health workers. Even though Sena has not openly sided with former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi's remarks on India-China border dispute, it has said: "The Delhi unit of BJP accuses Rahul Gandhi of demotivating the armed forces. But the same work of demotivation is being done by BJP's Maharashtra unit. Those who were in power once must understand that for the benefit of Maharashtra and Corona warriors, they should not issue demotivating statements."

Even as senior Congress leaders including Ashok Chavan and Balasaheb Thorat had publicly admitted that there were certain differences within the functioning of the Maharashtra government, Shiv Sena's mouthpiece has quoted them saying that differences can be sorted by discussions. The Sena editorial has also quoted Sharad Pawar and said that if a leader like him says government will continue for 5 years, why is the Opposition under such misunderstanding.

Earlier, Saamana had claimed that the Governor would not accept Uddhav Cabinet's recommendation while appointing 12 members to the MLC and would delay the process, thereby making a blatant attempt to dislodge the present MVA government and install BJP government.

READ | Shiv Sena asks NCP to return its 5 corporators who jumped ship, amid cracks in MVA

Sharad Pawar says no rift in MVA

This comes a day after Pawar dismissed speculations of a rift in the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance while addressing the media in Pune on Tuesday. Pawar maintained that his discussion with Thackeray pertain to the pressing issues of the state. Commenting on the criticism levelled against Thackeray by BJP, Pawar reckoned that this was expected from the opposition. Describing the Maharashtra CM's work as "satisfactory", he conceded that all other work in the state had to be stopped after the COVID-19 crisis emerged as a priority. The NCP supremo also mentioned that the state Cabinet holds meetings for 14-15 hours a day regarding the novel coronavirus crisis. 

READ: COVID-19: Maharashtra Reports 224 Deaths, 3,296 Recoveries; Active Cases Near 90000

He also backed PM Modi Ladakh visit even as partner Sena questioned the move. Pawar said that he was not surprised, citing the visits made Jawaharlal Nehru and then defence minister Yashwantrao Chavan to the region. Pawar recalled that when he was the defence minister in 1993, he had gone to China and a no-weapon treaty was signed. He also said that he had insisted on talking through diplomatic channels during the all-party meet with the PM.

READ | Sharad Pawar dismisses talk of rift in MVA, dubs CM Uddhav's performance as 'satisfactory'