Uddhav meets PM on Maharashtra’s issues
NEW DELHI/MUMBAI: Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday and discussed the Maratha reservation issue, pending Goods and Services Tax (GST) compensation to the state, and a proposed Mumbai Metro car shed that has been hit by a controversy . This was Thackeray’s second visit to Delhi after taking over as the chief minister in 2019.
Deputy chief minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar and Congress leader Ashok Chavan accompanied Thackeray on the visit. While the delegation met the PM, Thackeray also had a oneon-one interaction with Modi.
“Issues related to the Maratha reservation, Metro car shed, GST compensation were discussed with the Prime Minister. There were 12 issues that were discussed,” the Maharashtra CM said after the meeting. The Prime Minister’s Office did not issue a statement on the meeting. He said PM Modi assured them that he would look into the issues. “We, all three, are satisfied (with the meeting) because during our meeting there was no political agenda. Whatever issues we raised, he listened to us. I believe there could be some way out,” Thackeray said.
Pawar said the delegation also asked Modi to direct Maharashtra governor Bhagat Singh Koshiyari to approve the nomination of 12 members to the state legislative council, as decided by the state cabinet. He said this has been pending for eight months.
The delegation met the Prime Minister for more than one-anda-half hours at his official residence in the Capital. The most important issue which was raised during the meeting was related to reservation for the Maratha community in government jobs and education, and political reservation given to Other Backward Classes in local self-governance bodies. The state government has requested the Centre to accord the reservation to Marathas from the central quota.