Political circles in Maharashtra remained abuzz on Friday over the recent interaction between Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar, with Shinde asserting that political rivalry should not be mistaken for personal hostility.
Addressing the Maharashtra Assembly, Shinde referred to Pawar's visit to the legislature earlier this week and said, "As soon as I learnt that Sharad Pawar had arrived, I rushed to welcome him with a shawl and a coconut."
Emphasising that political differences need not translate into personal animosity, he added, "We are political opponents, not enemies."
Pawar had visited the Maharashtra Assembly on Wednesday to participate in a key meeting on the Maharashtra-Karnataka border dispute convened by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
Following that meeting, the veteran leader went to Shinde's office within the Assembly complex and also convened a meeting of NCP (SP) legislators there, setting off widespread political speculation.
Reports said Shinde curtailed an ongoing Cabinet meeting and hurried to his office, where Pawar was waiting. After a discussion lasting around 15 minutes, Shinde departed, while Pawar remained in the Deputy Chief Minister's office to meet party MLAs.
The meeting prompted a strong response from Shiv Sena (UBT), an ally of the NCP (SP) in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). On Thursday, party leader Sanjay Raut questioned Pawar's decision to meet Shinde and to hold a meeting of his legislators in the Deputy Chief Minister's office. Describing Shinde as a "traitor", Raut said the meeting would affect Pawar's credibility and claimed the development had upset all alliance partners.
A day later, however, Raut said there was no longer any resentment within the party towards Pawar. Calling him the "tallest leader" of the MVA, Raut said his earlier remarks merely reflected the sentiments of party workers. Even so, he maintained that Eknath Shinde should continue to remain beyond engagement for MVA allies.
"Shinde is a traitor. We should not give him legitimacy by meeting him. We can't be seen sipping tea with a traitor," Raut said.
NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule also sought to downplay the controversy on Friday, dismissing it as a "storm in a tea cup".
"It was just a short courtesy meeting. Nothing more than that," Sule said on Friday.
She also rejected reports suggesting that a section within the NCP (SP) was advocating a shift towards the NDA.
"I am in constant touch with all our eight MPs. We are all united," she told reporters.
Responding to the sharp criticism from Shiv Sena (UBT), Sule described the episode as a "misunderstanding".
"I have spoken to Sanjay Raut. It was a misunderstanding. We are good now,' she said.
Congress, another constituent of the MVA, took a different view of the development. Senior Congress leader and former chief minister Prithviraj Chavan suggested the interaction had been planned in advance and hinted that political manoeuvring could be underway.
"I think it was a pre-planned meeting. Something is happening," former chief minister and senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan told NDTV on Friday. "I have been informed by some people in the government that there is a bid to poach NCP (SP)'s MPs," he added.
