Maharashtra CM meets Modi with Pawar, Chavan in tow, lists 12 demands

The apex court had termed the state quota law as unconstitutional and held that the Maratha community is not socially and educationally backward

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi here and put forth a slew of demands ranging from ensuring reservation for the Maratha community, financial aid for cyclone relief and GST dues.

Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and Public Works Department Minister Ashok Chavan accompanied Thackeray for the meeting with the Prime Minister that lasted for nearly 90 minutes.

However, it is the brief one-on-one meeting Thackeray had with Modi that piqued interests in political circles.

“Even if we may not share power, it doesn’t mean that we have snapped our relationship,” Thackeray told reporters here about his separate meeting with the Prime Minister. Shiv Sena had snapped ties with the BJP after contesting the 2019 assembly elections together and formed the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government with the NCP and the Congress in an unlikely alliance.

“What is wrong if I meet him alone. I am not meeting Nawaz Sharif,” the Maharashtra chief minister said, adding that Pawar and Chavan would not mind even if he met Modi alone again.

During the meeting with the Prime Minister, the three leaders put forth 12 demands with the demand for relaxing 50% cap on reservations topping the chart as restive Maratha community leaders get ready for another agitation.

Thackeray said the Centre owed Rs 24,306 crores to the Maharashtra government on account of GST compensation and urged the Prime Minister to expedite the transfer of funds.

The Chief Minister also asked the Prime Minister to impress upon Governor Bhagat Singh Koshiyari to expedite the nomination of 12 members to the Legislative Council, contending that the state government has submitted the list to the Raj Bhavan in November last year.

Pawar, the state Finance Minister, said demand was also made to amend the parameters for awarding of funds to the state government to deal with natural disasters such as cyclones.

“The norms to allocate funds under the NDRF date back to 2015, we are in 2021 and a revision is due,” Pawar said.

Thackeray also raised the issue of pending dues to the tune of Rs 2,653 crore under different heads of the 14th Finance Commission and the Mumbai Metro Carshed at Kanjur and sought the intervention of the Prime Minister.

The chief minister also sought classical status for Marathi language, adopting the 'Beed Model' of crop insurance and setting up of a bulk drugs park in the state.