Devendra Fadnavis is impatient and desperate but state govt is stable: Sharad Pawar

Mumbai: As the BJP stepped up the attack against the Maha Vikas Aghadi government for its ‘inept’ handling of the coronavirus crisis, Nationalist Congress Party strongman Sharad Pawar on Tuesday slammed former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, saying that he is impatient and desperate but the state government is quite strong, safe and stable.

In a telephonic interview with FPJ, Pawar, who held a one and a half hour meeting with CM Uddhav Thackeray, hours after his interaction with Governor BS Koshyari on Monday, suggested that Fadnavis was keen to bring down the government. He explained that his interaction with Thackeray was "routine."

However, he admitted it was unusual for him to visit Thackeray at his residence "Matoshree." Describing his meeting with the Governor as a "courtesy call," he said he had received an invitation from the Governor. He clarified that they did not discuss either "COVID or politics".

"All legislators of the Shiv Sena, the NCP and the Congress are together. There are numbers on our side. Who wants a fresh poll right now? Any attempt to break away at this time and going in for a fresh election will result in the public beating us," he observed.

"There is a huge crisis because of the pandemic. Is this the time to play politics?" demanded Pawar while reiterating that Fadnavis is quite impatient. As far as the MVA constituents was concerned, there was complete unity and coordination. "There is no danger to the government. The government is strong," he asserted.

"There is a total consensus among the three partners on how to further make effective the fight against the virus and review the economy," said Pawar. On media reports about the widening gap between the government and the adminis tration, Pawar said there is no truth in it. Instead, he added that both are working in tandem.