Congress MP meets Nitin Gadkari, says no politics discussed

New Delhi: In a major twist to the political power play in Maharashtra, Congress treasurer Ahmed Patel on Wednesday morning called on Union transport minister Nitin Gadkari at his residence in the national capital. The meeting sent the rumor mills running in the political circles into overtime.

The meeting comes a day after the RSS threw its weight behind the Union minister as the troubleshooter to broker peace with a sulking Shiv Sena. Interstingly Mr Patel later tweeted that his meeting was regarding several issues concerning Gujarat. Leaving from the meeting, Mr Patel said he met the Union minister for road transport over “farmer issues”.

“I met him over farmer issues and other issues. It was not a political meeting or on Maharashtra politics,” he said.

Later in the day, Mr Patel also put out two letters that he had handed over to Mr Gadkari detailing the concerns over several projects of the government of India.

In the last couple of days the senior Congress leaders from Mahara-shtra have come and briefed the Congress high command over the situation prevailing in the state and future steps the party should take.

Meanwhile NCP Chief Sharad Pawar also met the Congress President Sonia Gandhi to apprise her of the political situation in the state. Insiders claim that since both the Shiv Sena and BJP were not being able to come to a meeting point, perhaps the Congress and NCP could intervene in some manner.

Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut has also met Mr Pawar twice in Mumbai. Mallikarjun Kharge, the Congress General Secretary Incharge of Maharashtra, is also taking feedback from the party MLAs.

Sensing the situation to go out of hand, Shiv Sena leader Kishore Tiwari on Monday wrote to the RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat suggesting that Mr Gadkari should be allowed sort out the impasse.