The chances of a rapprochement between the feuding saffron alliance partners brightened on Friday, as the Shiv Sena’s three senior Ministers on Friday attended the State Cabinet meeting and sought to turn the table on the BJP over the issue of transparency.
After weeks of bitter campaigning witnessed between saffron allies during the recently-ended local body polls, civility returned in their relations as the Sena Ministers---Eknath Shinde, Diwakar Raote and Dr Deepak Sawant - participated in the deliberations at the Cabinet meeting held in the run-up to the Budget Session of the State legislature beginning on March 6.
In an apparent counter to the transparency raised by the BJP in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls, the Sena Ministers rooted for transparency in the governance in the State Government.
At the meeting, the Sena Ministers reiterated the stand taken by Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray during the electioneering for the BMC polls - that the Ministers of State, leader of the Opposition and media persons should be present at the State Cabinet meetings.
Talking to media persons after the State Cabinet meeting, senior Minister Eknath Shinde said: “At the Cabinet meeting, we insisted that there should be transparency in governance at the State Government level. For the purpose, we would like the Ministers of State, leader of the Opposition in the Assembly and media persons to remain present at the State Cabinet meeting. We have asked Chief Minsiter Devendra Fadnvis to write to the Centre to bring about necessary amendments in law or Constitution to facilitate the presence of ministers of state, leader of the Opposition and media persons at the State Cabinet meetings.”
It may be recalled that the ruling BJP had slammed the Shiv Sena for lack of transparency in the BMC and chief minister Devendra Fadnavis had gone on record saying that the sear-sharing talks between the saffron alliance partners for the Mumbai civic polls had broken down over the issue of transparency.
As a counter, Uddhav had said that while he was all for one hundred per cent transparency at the BMC, he wanted similar transparency at the State Government level.