Gadkari slams Sena for acting as opposition

Shiv Sena, the alliance partner of BJP-led government is behaving more like an opposition, said Nitin Gadkari, the Union minister for road transport without naming the party. “Those who were in opposition for several years still behave like an opposition party despite being in the government,” said Gadkari.

Later, correcting his statement, Gadkari said that he was not taunting Diwakar Raote, the Sena minister for road transport, because few leaders of BJP too behave like that.

Leaders from all political parties attended an event felicitate Dilip Walse Patil, senior leader of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) at Ravindra Natya Mandir, at Prabhadevi on Friday.

NCP chief Sharad Pawar, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, Jayant Patil, leader of Peasants and Workers Party (PWP), union minister for social justice Ramdas Kadam were among the leaders who were present at the function.

Gadkari said BJP and Sena have been used to protesting for several years, rather being in power. “Sometimes we forget we are in power now and some continue to behave they are still in the opposition,” taunted Gadkari.

Praising Walse Patil on his 61st birth anniversary, Gadkari said politicians in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh cannot cut across party lines to be friends, they bring politics in every walk of life.

“Leaders in Bihar and UP play politics even in their relations, in Maharashtra we are not like that. We maintain friendship with leaders from all parties. When I was in trouble as my sugar mill went bankrupt, WalsePatil supported me as a friend. This was beyond politics,” Gadkari appreciated Walse-Patil.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said when in opposition they would challenge Walse-Patil as minister of power he never lost his cool.

“We always opposed Walse-Patil on the issue of load shedding, but he always remained calm and would give us a reply coolly. His decision to bifurcate the State Electricity Board into three companies has proved right,” said Fadnavis. Fadnavis added, he still obeys the advice given by Walse-Patil to go outside the Assembly and eat something when the tension rose in the House.

Sharad Pawar said Walse Patil has taken few historic decisions which have given the direction to the state.