Shiv Sena’s Sanjay Raut met Devendra Fadnavis at a Mumbai hotel on Friday (file)
Mumbai:
Days after Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut met former Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, a meeting described as “non-political”, Mr. Raut appeared to take a 180 degree turn, referring to that meeting and asking “is it a sin to talk about politics?”
“Is it a sin to talk about politics? If two political leaders meet, they discuss issues related to the country: Farm Bills, J&K, China, Pakistan and COVID-19,” Raut told reporters in Mumbai today.
Earlier today, the head of the Maharashtra BJP, Chandrakant Patil, made a similar comment, saying: “If the top leaders of two different political parties meet, political discussions take place. If they sat together for two and a half hours, they didn’t discuss tea biscuits, “Mr. Patil said.
“But it was not conclusive,” he added.
Friday’s meeting between Raut and Fadnavis, at a luxury hotel in a Mumbai suburb, was the first since their bitter split last year. The former allies parted ways after disagreements over shared power following their victory in last year’s Assembly elections.
After that meeting, Mr. Raut said the two had met for an interview at “Saamana“- the spokesman for the Seine of which he is executive editor.
“I met Fadnavis for his interview for”Saamana“This was decided beforehand. Even Uddhav Thackeray was aware of this,” he told reporters, adding, cryptically, that Fadnavis was not “our enemy.”
Maharashtra BJP chief spokesperson Keshav Upadhye also posted on social media that there was no political angle at the meeting.
The Sena and the BJP contested the state elections as allies, but they squabbled over how to form a government together, and Shiv Sena, led by Uddhav Thackeray, insisted on a higher proportion of ministries.
The Sena eventually severed ties with the BJP and formed a government with two rivals: Sharad Pawar’s NCP (Nationalist Congress Party) and Congress.
On Saturday, the day after Raut and Fadnavis met, Sharad Pawar met with Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.
The PTI news agency, citing unidentified sources, said the two may have discussed plans to further ease the Covid restrictions in place in Maharashtra, the worst-hit state in the country.
With contributions from PTI, ANI
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