Prithviraj defends Pawar-Shinde meeting, says Sena (UBT)' objection 'understandable'

Mumbai, Jul 9 (PTI) Senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan on Thursday said it was natural for Shiv Sena (UBT) to be upset over NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar's meeting with Maharashtra Deputy CM Eknath Shinde, but said there was nothing wrong if politicians maintain cordial personal relations. His statement comes a day after Pawar met the MLAs of his party in Shinde's office at the Vidhan Bhavan complex in Mumbai. After attending a meeting on the Maharashtra-Karnataka border dispute, Pawar, whose party is a constituent in the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi bloc, paid a "courtesy visit" to Shinde in his chamber. However, the meeting between the two leaders did not go down well with NCP (SP) ally Shiv Sena (UBT), whose spokesperson Sanjay Raut said his party was disturbed and hurt by the development. Stating that such acts lower the credibility of a senior leader like Pawar, he added that the meeting amounted to "glorification of traitors". Talking to PTI Videos in Delhi, Chavan said, "In politics, especially in the assembly, we are not personal enemies. Our ideologies differ, we strongly criticise each other, and we speak against one another inside the House. But once we step outside, we maintain cordial personal relations." Recalling his tenure in Parliament during the NDA government led by former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Chavan said leaders across party lines maintained cordial ties and meetings between political rivals were not considered unusual. The former Maharashtra chief minister said Pawar, being a senior leader, could have met Shinde for a variety of reasons, including to offer advice or discuss a routine matter. "However, it is natural that the meeting has upset Shiv Sena (UBT), because the person he met is someone they believe was responsible for splitting and damaging the Shiv Sena. If you meet such a person and accord him respect, it is understandable that they would feel hurt. So I can understand Sanjay Raut's statement," Chavan said. He, however, declined to comment on the purpose of the meeting. "As for why Sharad Pawar met him, it would not be appropriate for me to speculate. That is something his party should clarify," Chavan added. Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP (SP) and Congress are constituents of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) opposition alliance in Maharashtra, which was formed after the 2019 assembly polls. The alliance's government led by Uddhav Thackeray collapsed in June 2022 after Eknath Shinde rebelled, leading to a split in the Shiv Sena. PTI MR NP