Rebel Sena MLA and Minister Abdul Sattar meets Ashok Chavan behind closed doors, raises eyebrows

@the_news_21

Mumbai: Maharashtra Agriculture Minister and Eknath Shinde-faction Shiv Sena leader Abdul Sattar on Sunday met with senior Congress leader and former chief minister Ashok Chavan at the latter’s residence in Nanded. The close-door meeting raised quite a few eyebrows setting rumour mills as two leaders from the ruling and opposition parties met in a hush-hush manner. 

Both Sattar and Chavan tried to downplay the motive of the meeting, calling it a friendly, “non-political” meeting. However, eyebrows were raised as the meeting follows recent rumours of Chavan exiting the Congress in the near future. 

The Sena Minister, who is a three-time MLA from Sillod constituency in Aurangabad district, visited Chavan’s residence after taking a meeting of district authorities in Nanded. When questioned about the meeting with Sattar, Chavan said “there were relations which extended well beyond politics.” 

Ashok Chavan, a minister in the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government of chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, remarked, “Sattar had first entered the Congress some 20-25 years ago in the presence of my father late Shankarrao Chavan. While today we may be in different political parties, our personal relations have always been strong. Today, he (Sattar) has an important portfolio in the cabinet and I have full confidence he will work well and fulfil his responsibilities.” 

Sattar, a prominent member of the intra-party rebellion led by current Chief Minister Eknath Shinde which brought down the MVA government, returned his respect for the Congress leader and the Chavan clan. 

Sattar, a former Congressman himself, who joined the Shiv Sena ahead of the 2019 Assembly elections, replied, “All my political life, I have worked under Shankarrao Chavan and Ashok Chavan. They are tall leaders in the Marathwada region…Chavan is well-versed with the region and the problems of farmers. He has done deep study on farmers’ issues and it is to ask his guidance that I visit him.”

In the aftermath of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s intra-party rebellion, which has plunged the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena in turmoil, speculation has been rife about a similar churn within the Congress in Maharashtra. In all 50 MLAs including 11 independents and 39 Sena rebels joined hands with Eknath Shinde to form a new government with Devendra Fadnavis’ BJP. 

Earlier this month, Chavan denied rumours of him leaving the Congress.  

Chavan, along with 10 other Congress MLAs, had raised questions about their future intentions when they did not cast their vote in the floor test of the newly formed Shinde-Fadnavis government last month, causing the MVA’s tally to fall to 99 MLAs from 109 MLAs (after the Sena revolt).