Sonia Gandhi's letter to Maharashtra CM not out of resentment: Balasaheb Thorat

Sanjay Raut denied that there was pressure politics behind the letter

Maharashtra Congress president Balasaheb Thorat on Saturday said that Sonia Gandhi has written a letter to state Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray not out of resentment, but as part of a dialogue process.

Gandhi has written a letter to Thackeray, in which she has reminded him of the Common Minimum Programme (CMP) of the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress government in the state and sought implementation of certain measures for the welfare of Dalits and tribals.

In the letter dated December 14, she demanded reservation in government contracts for SC/ST professionals to promote entrepreneurship among them, among other things.

Talking to reporters, Thorat, who is Revenue Minister in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government said his party was not unhappy in the alliance.

"Congress's stand has always been in favour of uplift of poor and deprived sections of the society and Gandhi's letter was part of dialogue on how welfare measures can be taken. There is no resentment," he said.

Meanwhile, when asked about the letter, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said that Sonia Gandhi is the chairperson of UPA and she has contributed to the formation of MVA.

"A CMP for the welfare of different sections of the society is the agenda of the MVA and Uddhav Thackeray is working in that direction. Some issues might have gone on the back burner due to the pandemic. But the government is slowly getting back on track and focusing on the CMP," he said.

Replying to a question, Raut denied that there was pressure politics behind the letter.

"There is no pressure politics in this," he said.

In her first letter to Thackeray, Gandhi has made several suggestions, including legislative backing for utilisation of funds meant for SC/ST communities during the same year. Gandhi said she expected that the CMP would be implemented in letter and spirit.