State BJP unit chief Chandrakant Patil said if any arrangement is worked out between his party and the NCP, it will be known like the early morning swearing-in ceremony (of Devendra Fadnavis as CM and Ajit Pawar as DCM held on November 23, 2019).
On rumours which are doing the rounds in the political circles that NCP chief Sharad Pawar and Union Home Minister Amit Shah met in Ahmedabad on Saturday, Patil said he has no details of it.
“All such meetings take place routinely. In the Indian culture, politics is on one side, but we all should meet. Of late, such meetings have decreased in Maharashtra (among opponents)," he said. Patil said since Pawar and Shah were there (in Ahmedabad), they might have met.
Asked whether he is okay if the BJP and NCP come together, Patil said whatever decision is taken by senior leadership of the BJP, it will be accepted as it will always be in the interest of the party. ‘’We will accept the party leadership’s decision on understanding with NCP,’’ he said.
However, NCP chief spokesman and Minister of Minority Affair Nawab Malik rubbished Patil’s statement saying that the talks of BJP-NCP alliance had been in circulation when NCP was in opposition and after the assembly election results were declared in October 2019. ‘’There is no truth. No discussion was held with BJP for forming the government together in Maharashtra. BJP is creating confusion,’’ he noted.
Lockdown not solution to COVID surge
As far as Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray’s announcement on limited lockdown is concerned, Patil said BJP will strongly oppose it. The lockdown is not a solution for the rise in cases of coronavirus.
“Lockdown is not an answer to the increasing Covid-19 cases in the state. If the lockdown is imposed, you (state government) will not give any package (for relief to affected people). How people lived in the last one year cannot be understood by sitting in Matoshree (Thackeray’s residence),’’ he noted.
Patil said there is no objection to night curfew, but activities during the day should be continued
He further said if the state government wants to impose it then before that it should deposit Rs 5,000 in the bank accounts of nearly one crore working class and others.