Two Days after Sena Councillors Join NCP, Congress' Thorat Says No Bickering in Uddhav-led Maha Govt

There is no bickering within the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), Maharashtra Revenue Minister and state Congress president Balasaheb Thorat said on Monday, two days after five councillors of the Shiv Sena in Ahmednagar district joined the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

Thorat also said that reports on the proposed purchase of official vehicles for ministers amid the COVID-19 pandemic was based on incomplete information.

The five councillors of the Sena from Parner had last Saturday joined the NCP in the presence of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar in Baramati in Pune district.

"...There is no question of bickering within the Aghadi. Some people are waiting for the bickering to happen. They engage in such campaigning. But there is no nothing beyond that (campaign). The alliance is strong and united," Thorat told reporters when asked about the Parner development.

The Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress are the three constituents of the Uddhav Thackeray-led government.

To a question about the Opposition targeting the government over a proposal to purchase vehicles for ministers when revenue of the state has depleted, Thorat said the reports were based on incomplete information.

The state government recently sanctioned Rs 22.83 lakh for the purchase of a seven-seater multi-utility official vehicle for education minister Varsha Gaikwad, drawing flak from the opposition BJP, which questioned the Sena-led dispensation over its priorities amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Gaikwad is an MLA of the Congress from Mumbai.

Acknowledging that the state's revenue has dipped due to the pandemic, Thorat said the education department had proposed purchasing of vehicles which are needed to ensure that administration is run efficiently which includes travelling.

"But the news that was circulated was not based on complete information. There was a proposal to purchase six vehicles, but the purchase of only one vehicle was approved," Thorat added.