Amit Shah Meets Devendra Fadnavis and Eknath Shinde Over Protests and Sena Case
Union Home Minister Amit Shah met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Saturday to review state developments following recent student protests across Mumbai, Pune, and several other cities, alongside ongoing Supreme Court hearings concerning the Shiv Sena.
A BJP leader aware of the matter confirmed that the Union Home Minister was appraised of police action during the student demonstrations and was informed that the protests in the state remained peaceful.
The leaders reviewed the status of petitions filed at the Supreme Court by the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) following leader defections and disputes over the official party name and symbol. The court is expected to deliver its verdict soon in the case being heard under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution. Shiv Sena leaders expressed anxiety over the decision potentially going against them, fearing the loss of the party's name and symbol, and discussed necessary steps to address the political fallout.
In addition to court developments, the three leaders reportedly discussed a possible expansion of the Union cabinet following the conclusion of the ongoing monsoon session of Parliament. The Shiv Sena, which currently has 13 Members of Parliament in the Lok Sabha, is expecting a larger share in the cabinet, specifically requesting two cabinet berths and one state ministerial post.
The meeting also touched upon a potential expansion of the state cabinet and the allocation of statutory boards and corporations among ruling allies in Maharashtra. A Shiv Sena leader expressed dissatisfaction over the treatment meted out to the party and raised concerns regarding the funds allocated to departments led by the Shiv Sena.
Nationalist Congress Party president and Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar was conspicuously absent from the high-level meeting. Her absence occurred shortly after her meeting earlier in the week with political strategist Prashant Kishor. Kishor's party previously fought against the BJP in Assembly elections and defeated a BJP candidate in a by-poll last week, while Kishor has criticized both the BJP and Amit Shah in the past. A Shiv Sena leader noted that Kishor's appointment as a political consultant by the NCP has not gone down well with the BJP.
