Uddhav, Patole meet, discuss I.N.D.I.A event, Sharad Pawar-Ajit Pawar interaction in Pune

Maharashtra Congress President Nana Patole on Sunday met Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray in connection with the meeting on August 31 and September 1 of the Opposition bloc I.N.D.I.A in Mumbai.

He also said the issue of confusion in the ranks of the Maha Vikas Aghadi in connection with the meeting between Nationalist Congress Party founder Sharad Pawar and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar in Pune on Saturday was discussed.

'People of Maharashtra see us as one and there should be no confusion among the workers. The Maha Vikas Aghadi is united and everyone's stand should be made clear at the earliest,' Patole told reporters.

The Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and the NCP are part of the MVA.

Earlier in the day, queried about his “secret” meeting in Pune on Saturday with Ajit Pawar, the NCP founder said, 'I want to tell you a fact that he is my nephew. What is wrong with meeting my nephew? If a senior person in a family desires to meet another family member, there should not be any issue with that.'

The NCP president and the deputy CM are believed to have met at the residence of a businessman.

Visuals aired by regional news channels showed Sharad Pawar arriving at the residence of the businessman in Koregaon Park area at around 1 pm. He left by around 5 pm. After nearly two hours, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar was seen leaving the premises in a car at 6:45 pm while apparently trying to avoid cameras.

Ajit Pawar and eight MLAs had joined the Eknath Shinde government, which also has the Bharatiya Janata Party, on July 2, in the process causing a vertical split in the NCP.

Meanwhile, speaking on 18 deaths in Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Hospital in Kalwa, Patole said if this was the situation in a civic-run facility in Thane then one could imagine what would be the state of affairs in other parts.

The Eknath Shinde government must take responsibility for the deaths, Patole said.