Sharad Pawar, Devendra Fadnavis trade words over cyclone Nisarga

Sharad Pawar and Devendra Fadnavis

Even while they continue to bicker over the pandemic, the ruling parties and the Opposition have got into a fresh brawl over relief and rehabilitation of the Nisarga cyclone-affected people of the Konkan.

This time around, NCP boss Sharad Pawar and Opposition leader Devendra Fadnavis have locked horns. During his visit to Raigad on Thursday, Fadnavis responded to Pawar-s jibe that the ex-CM had no idea about the situation in Konkan because he Fadvanis lived in Vidarbha.

Fadnavis said Pawar was like his father who like any other father felt that his son didn-t know anything and achieved nothing, and added, "Maybe by using my shoulders Pawar saheb wants the message to be passed on to the senior of Bandra CM Uddhav Thackeray and junior of Baramati DCM Ajit Pawar."

Pawar had said that it would be good that Fadnavis who doesn-t know about the seas would be visiting the affected people. "There is no connection between the seas and Vidarbha. The visit to Raigad will add to Fadnavis-s knowledge," Pawar was quoted as saying.

Fadnavis further said the 81-year-old NCP boss had to visit the difficult area because the representatives in the MVA government were not working properly. "Uddhav Thackeray does not need my advice, but we sustained him because he is a friend who worked with us for five years. For the first time, we-re seeing the bureaucrats pitted against the ministers. It is the CM-s job to create harmony by listening to the ministers and babus and arriving at a right decision," said Fadnavis, adding that he will meet the CM after the visit. He said the Centre will help after receiving a report from the state.

The state government has already announced R200 crore for the coastal districts as immediate relief and the bigger relief will come after proper assessment of the damages.

Pawar who visited a Raigad early this week met Thackeray on Thursday to discuss the post-cyclone situation, relief to be offered and rehabilitation to be taken up. They both spent almost an hour together at the Balasaheb Thackeray Memorial at Shivaji Park.

The NCP boss is considered an expert, who was made the vice-president of the National Disaster Management Authority during the Kutch earthquake in 1993 by the then PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Demand for Ajoy Mehta-s ouster

Though CM Uddhav Thackeray has ruled out any differences between the ministers and bureaucrats - especially Chief Secretary Ajoy Mehta, the Congress has been putting pressure to not extend Mehta-s tenure.

Sources said senior Congress ministers have told the chief minister specifically about Mehta who will end his term on June 30 if not extended and also sought fair participation in the matters of governance.

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