New Delhi: Amid a growing rift between the Shiv Sena and its ideologically opposite alliance partners — Congress and the NCP, Sena chief and Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday.
It was the first official meeting between Modi and Uddhav Thackeray since he walked out of the NDA alliance and took over as Chief Minister of Maharashtra. Uddhav was accompanied by his son Aaditya Thackeray.
Shiv Sena posted a photo of the meeting from its official Twitter handle. It said: “CM Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray & Minster @AUThackeray had a courtesy meeting with the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India Shri @narendramodi ji in Delhi today.”
Dispelling political speculation, Sena leader Sanjay Raut earlier tweeted, “Yes, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray will meet PM Modi. This is only a meeting, nothing else should be read into it. Jai Maharashtra.”
After the meeting, Thackeray reportedly said that he and the PM discussed the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the National Population Register (NPR). He said that he remains firm on his stance that no one should be “scared of CAA”.
Confirming that the NPR will be conducted in Maharashtra, he said that the NPR is not an exercise to push someone out of the country.
Last year, after the Maharashtra election, the Shiv Sena walked out of the NDA and formed a government with the help of the NCP and the Congress. This happened after the BJP refused to share the Chief Ministerial post with the Sena.
(With inputs from IANS)
