Maha Vikas Aghadi govt safe, says Shiv Sena's Sanjay Raut

Amid reports of widening rift between the Shiv Sena, the NCP and the Congress, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray's close aide Sanjay Raut said that the three-party Maha Vikas Aghadi government will complete a full five-year term.

"The government will complete its full five-year term... It is not a 'khichdi' government," said Raut, the executive editor of Saamana and Shiv Sena's Rajya Sabha member.

"There are no internal differences between Sena, NCP and Congress," Raut said, adding that Thackeray, the chief minister and Shiv Sena president, it looking at smallest details.

The statement comes within hours of a closed-door meeting between Uddhav Thackeray and NCP supremo Sharad Pawar, the chief architect of MVA.

In fact, Pawar has also given an interview to Saamana, the Shiv Sena mouthpiece, that would be published from Saturday in parts.

"There are no differences of opinion," he said, adding that he has personally discussed with Pawar, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawer, state NCP chief and Water Resources and Command Area Development Minister Jayant Patil and state Congress president and Revenue Minister Balasaheb Thorat.

"All decisions are taken in consultations," he said, and described Pawar as the "father figure".

On the recent differences vis-a-vis abrupt cancellation of transfers of 10 deputy commissioners of police in Mumbai and 5 Shiv Sena councillors of Parner in Ahmednagar, defecting to the NCP, Raut said these were small, localised issues and must not be politicised.

There are no differences as Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis has claimed, added Raut.