Mumbai: A day after Congress President Sonia Gandhi’s letter to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray advocating a four-point agenda for the marginalised sections based on common minimum programme, Shiv Sena and NCP have denied any differences among Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) partners. Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut has clarified that there was neither politics nor any pressure tactics in the letter.
“If the Congress party has brought forward an agenda which is in the interest of people of Maharashtra and the state, then, it should be welcomed. There is no pressure politics,” said Raut.
“Sonia Gandhi is the chairperson of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA). She and Sharad Pawar had an important role in the formation of the Maha Vikas Aghadi. We had created a common minimum programme. The letter is about that," noted Raut.
"The coronavirus pandemic is the reason for the pending work on the issues that were in the common minimum programme. Some projects have been left pending because of the increased work due to the pandemic," he said.
On the other hand, NCP national spokesman and Minister of Minority Affairs Nawab Malik said that the MVA government is committed to the common minimum programme for SC/ST. The budgetary provision has been made based on the population.
“Social Justice Department is held by NCP while Congress is in charge of tribal development. If the Congress ministers have any grievances they can be discussed in the coordination committee in which there are two Congress ministers. However, if some ministers directly take up the matter with the Congress president Sonia Gandhi that shows lack of coordination within the Congress party,’’ he viewed.
