Shiv Sena leader Priyanka Chaturvedi has responded to former Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis' wife Amruta Fadnavis' claim that the Uddhav Thackeray-led government is trying to target her and the former CM by shifting the accounts salaried accounts of its employees from Axis Bank to a nationalised bank.
Chaturvedi said that if Amruta Fadnavis is calling the government's move as vendetta then she agrees that Devendra Fadnavis favoured moving accounts to Axis Bank as she was employed there. Amruta happens to be the vice president and corporate head (west India) at Axis Bank.
Priyanka Chaturvedi tweeted, "Surprised that she is calling it vendetta because if it were, she agrees that the fmr CM favoured moving accounts to Axis Bank as she was employed there. If decision to move accounts was business as usual with zilch involvement of her & fmr CM then where is the question of targeting?"
Earlier, Amruta Fadnavis told Economic Times that the salaried accounts of government employees were bagged by Axis bank much before she married Devendra Fadnavis. She said, "The accounts were bagged by Axis bank much before I married Devendra.. during the tenure of the Congress-NCP regime. Private banks are also Indian banks and provide superior technological services. The government should think rationally. By doing this(shifting the accounts), they (the government) are trying to target Devendra and me.”
According to an earlier report, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maharashtra government wants to now transfer managing of the salary accounts to a public sector bank. The final decision is, however, not out yet, the fate of the Axis bank will be sealed after the cabinet expansion of Uddhav towards the end of the month.
The Fadnavis-led Maha state government had assigned the management of almost 2 lakh salary accounts to Axis bank, the overall annual salary bill is over 11,000 crores. The management of the police department’s salary accounts was previously looked after by the State Bank of India until the Fadnavis-led state government took charge.
According to a leading daily, the Finance Minister Jayant Patil has confirmed that the government is looking to handover the management of the salary accounts to a nationalised bank.
Also, Thane Municipal Corporation has decided to shift salary accounts from Axis Bank to a nationalized bank. The reason for this was cited to be the verbal spat between Shiv Sena's spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi and former CM Devendra Fadnavis's wife Amruta Fadnavis. Amruta Fadnavis holds a senior position at Axis Bank, said Thane Mayor Naresh Mhaske.
He told ANI, "Municipal Corporation has decided to shift salary accounts from Axis Bank to nationalized bank,after verbal spat b/w Shiv Sena's Priyanka Chaturvedi&Amruta Fadnavis(wife of former CM Devendra Fadnavis)who holds senior position at Axis Bank."
