Sonia Gandhi had written to Uddhav Thackeray earlier this week. (Archive)
Bombay:
Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said on Saturday that there was nothing to read between the lines in the letter from the head of Congress, Sonia Gandhi, to the chairman of his party, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, adding that the two parties were in an alliance and there were no “pressure policies.”
“Sonia Gandhi is the president of UPA (United Progressive Alliance). She and Sharad Pawar had an important role in the formation of Maha Vikas Aghadi (the governing coalition of Maharashtra). As we allied together, we created a Common Minimum Program. The letter is about that, “said Raut, Shiv Sena’s fire chief.
“The coronavirus pandemic is the reason for the pending work on the issues that were in the Common Minimum Program. Some projects have been left pending due to the increase in work due to the pandemic,” he said.
“If the Congress party has put forward an agenda that is in the interest of the people of Maharashtra and the state, then it should be welcomed. There are no lobbying policies. We are in alliance with Congress,” Raut added.
Sonia Gandhi had written to Uddhav Thackeray, reminding him of the government’s Common Minimum Program and following up on the implementation of certain measures for the well-being of Dalits and tribals, the PTI news agency reported on Friday.
The letter attracted attention because it was the first of its kind since Congress formed an unlikely alliance with an ideologically disparate Shiv Sena along with Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) to form the government of Maha Vikas Aghadi in the Been last year and keep the BJP out.
Among other things, Sonia Gandhi, in her letter dated December 14, requested reservation in government contracts for professionals from castes and tribes programmed to promote entrepreneurship among them, Congressional sources told PTI.
He expressed confidence that the Maharashtra government, under Thackeray’s leadership, will implement the Common Minimum Program in letter and spirit.
The budget allocation for the development of registered castes and tribes should be proportional to their participation in the population, he said.
The focus should be on bringing these communities on a par with the rest of society as soon as possible, Ms Gandhi said.
“… there should be legislative support to use the funds allocated (for SC / ST schemes) during the same financial year,” he said.
There should be recruiting drives to fill vacancies in reserved positions, said the president of Congress.
The letter is also important given the upcoming Gram Panchayat elections in Maharashtra.
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