'I am not Donald Trump,' says CM Uddhav as Sanjay Raut accuses 'You're hiding something!'

As Maharashtra is tackling the Coronavirus pandemic, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has given an interview to his party's mouthpiece Saamana. Releasing its trailer on Wednesday night, Saamana Editor and Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut said that it's a 'heartfelt interview' with the Chief Minister of Maharashtra. Though the entire context of the interview is not known, in the first trailer, CM Uddhav said that he 'is not Donald Trump' and therefore, he cannot see his people suffer.

In the interview that will be released in two parts, Sanjay Raut asks CM Uddhav - "when will Vada Pav be available on the streets of Mumbai?" In response, CM Uddhav explains that relaxations have been granted, but lockdown is in place. Maharashtra CM's remark on Trump became the highlight as US President is facing criticism over his handling of Covid-19 pandemic, and his recklessness in practicing the measures required to contain it - for eg. wearing a mask in public and imposing tougher restrictions. CM Uddhav can also be seen explaining the difficulties that would come in conducting exams while the state is grappling against Coronavirus.

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Sharad Pawar's Saamana interview

Earlier, in an interview with Saamana editor Sanjay Raut - NCP Supremo Sharad Pawar, explained the formation of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra. He talked about the fall of BJP due to its subduing Sena, the unlikely combination of Sena and Congress, and the success of the coalition in tackling Coronavirus - unitedly. This was the first time Saamana was interviewing a non-Thackeray politician, with previously interviewing only Balasaheb and Uddhav Thackeray.

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When asked whether the Maha Vikas Aghadi was an accident or a planned transformation, Pawar said" I don't think this (coalition) is an accident. In the Lok Sabha polls, Maharashtra followed the nation's mood, but it was different in state polls. Not just in Maharashtra - in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh BJP's strong Lok Sabha performance was not replicated. In Maharashtra, people had realised that in the previous BJP-Sena government, Sena was subdued". 

When asked about the performance of the coalition in the past 6 months, he said that the 3-party government was successful as there was no politicisation between the three parties in fighting Coronavirus. Refuting to be the remote control behind the government, he said that remote controls do not work in democracies unless it was one like Putin - where one man could be President till 2036.

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