Mumbai: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is expected to call on Nationalist Congress Party president Sharad Pawar for a meeting on Wednesday. Banerjee met with Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut and Maharashtra Cabinet Minister of Tourism and Environment Aaditya Thackery on Tuesday evening. Raut said, "We welcome the step."
NCP MP Sanjay Raut tweeted on Tuesday, "Today, I met Mamata Banerjee along with Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray. Politics and Bengal-Maharashtra relations were discussed. Mamta ji visited Siddhinayak temple and prayed for Uddhavji's health. He said that Maharashtra and Bengal are fighting states, which will not bow down."
Addressing the media this morning Maharashtra Environment Minister Aaditya Thackery said, "Mamata Banerjee is a great leader. The way she fought like a tiger in West Bengal made the wolves run away. The whole country is looking at the major leaders of today which include Mamata Banerjee, Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar. Therefore, her meeting with Sharad Pawar is equally important from the point of view of the country's politics. So if Mamata Banerjee is meeting Pawar, it is definitely a welcome step."
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Aaditya Thackery tweeted on Tuesday, "This evening, rautsanjay61ji and I called on West Bengal CM@MamataOfficial didi, during her visit to Maharashtra. The bond between CM Uddhav Thackeray ji and CM Mamata Didi is strong. Discussed various things including working together for tourism for our States."
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena in a statement informed that due to health issues, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray will not be able to meet meeting Banerjee. The meeting with Sharad Pawar comes ahead of Goa Assembly polls in February 2022 in which TMC's national general secretary Abhishekh Banerjee is campaigning to expand the party's base.
Mamata is on a three-day tour in Mumbai with the dual goal of attracting investors for the state and networking with the leaders there to achieve her national expansion goals. Banerjee visited Siddhivinayak Temple on Tuesday. Addressing the media she said, 'I wanted to meet Thackery but due to his health condition doctors did not allow visitors with the fear of infection.' She said before her tour in Mumbai.
Aaditya Thackery said, "we discussed political issues and prayed for speedy recovery and re-activation in national politics. Centre trying to destabilise the opposition governments by using central agencies,". Praising TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee he also said that, " in West Bengal, the Left-led party is also flattened."
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"Sena and TMC have an old relationship. Since the TMC led government and Shiv Sena led government has coordinated well in times of Covid too we would carry forward the friendship. Of late there might have been a dispute between TMC and Congress, but if we want to build a strong front, we have to take it all together. These are very important decisions and Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has come out completely cured, "Thackery added.
