Shiv Sena denies meeting CM Devendra Fadnavis over Vidarbha

Sena MLAs shouted slogans against a separate Vidarbha state at Vidhan Bhavan on Moday and warned against dividing Maharashtra. (Photo: Rajesh Jadhav)

While the Congress claimed that political strategy over the Vidarbha issue was decided in a meeting held between chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and Shiv Sena ministers on Monday morning, the Shiv Sena refuted it, saying no such meeting had taken place.

“According to the decision taken in a meeting, opposition Congress and NCP were denied the first opportunity to speak on the Vidarbha issue in the Assembly and, instead, a Sena legislator was allowed to put his stand over the motion,” said Congress MLC Sanjay Dutt.

The Congress claimed that the chief minister’s neutral stand on separate Vidarbha statehood will badly affect the BJP and they will face drastic defeat in the civic polls.

Refuting the Opposition’s claims, Shiv Sena spokesperson Dr Neelam Gorhe said there was no meeting held between Sena ministers and the chief minister. “The Shiv Sena’s stand over Samyukt Maharashtra is very clear and we have put it on record in both the Houses at appropriate times,” said Dr Gorhe.

She added that the meeting of party legislators was held in the morning before the business of the session began and what happened later in the House is “history now.” Dr Gorhe claimed that the NCP’s stand is not firm over a separate Vidarbha. In fact, NCP supremo Sharad Pawar is of the view that if the people of Vidarbha demand for a separate state, the state should respect it, she said.

Meanwhile, according to instructions from Matoshree, Sena legislators will continue to oppose in the House over Vidarbha issue, confirmed a Sena insider. Shiv Sena sources said ally BJP’s “premature” pro-Vidarbha stand is nothing but a ploy to gain power in the local body elections due in 2017.

The Congress, meanwhile, is divided over the Vidarbha issue. Manikrao Thakare, a party MLC and former chief of the state Congress, is a pro-Vidarbha leader. He hails from Yeotmal district, whereas Yashomati Thakur, party legislator from Tiwasa in Amravati district has strongly opposed the BJP’s demand of separate statehood.

Ms Thakur said leaders from eastern Vidarbha district are in favour of a Vidarbha state whereas leaders from both the BJP and Congress have opposed the idea of separate statehood.

Senior Congress leader from Vidarbha Dr Nitin Raut, who is known as a pro-Vidarbha leader, said the BJP would lose its strength from Vidarbha as the Fadnavis government has failed to fulfil the public demand to carve out a separate Vidarbha state from Maharashtra.

“Mr Fadnavis has taken responsibility of gaining power in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) while Union minister Nitin Gadkari has taken responsibility of the Nagpur corporation,” claimed Dr Raut. The former minister said that by winning these municipal corporations, the BJP wants to prove who the leader of Vidarbha will be.