In an unprecedented move, chief minister Prithviraj Chavan met leader of Opposition in Legislative Assembly Eknath Khadse at his residence on Saturday afternoon. The meeting that lasted for two hours is claimed to be a courtesy call. However, it is believed that the chief minister wanted the Opposition to stop lingering on the issue of the irrigation scam. Mr Chavan reached the official residence of the Opposition leader at 2 pm and left the venue after 4 pm. This is the first occasion in the political history of Maharashtra that a CM has gone to the Opposition leader’s residence and discussed agenda. According to sources, the chief minister was upset over the BJP’s allegations with regards to the irrigation scam. He is of the opinion that the BJP was targeting Mr Chavan for no reason, completely ignoring the NCP’s role in the irrigation scam. Mr Chavan had recently said that the SIT headed by international water resources expert Dr Madhavrao Chitale was formed, not to nail someone, but to identify the past mistakes and look into the technical discrepancies. Raising the issue, the BJP had alleged that Mr Chavan was shielding the culprits responsible for the irrigation scam. “The chief minister requested Mr Khadse not to stretch the issue any more and clarified that he was working according to the rules and regulations,” a senior party functionary said on condition of anonymity. Confirming the CM’s visit, Mr Khadse said that it was a courtesy call and nothing political was discussed. “I was admitted to the Bombay Hospital earlier and was not doing well in the last few days. Mr Chavan was scheduled to meet me, but he could not make it. Therefore, he came today,” Mr Khadse said, adding, “I had called him in the morning, asking for an appointment to discuss certain issues. He asked me not to come, as he was planning to come over to meet me in person. And so he came in the afternoon.”
