After Shiv Sena-NCP's belated denials of Amit Shah-Sharad Pawar meet, BJP adds fresh twist

Days after Union Home Minister Amit Shah and NCP chief Sharad Pawar were rumoured to have met in Ahmedabad, Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrakant Patil has now refuted the claims of any political discussions between them. Terming the development as "country's culture" to 'meet with other political leaders,' Patil said that such meetings are commonplace. In addition, he also opined that party leaders should meet besides politics. Chandrakant Patil further added that Pawar may have met Home Minister Amit Shah for 'some work'. This is in sharp contrast to both Sanjay Raut and also NCP's Nawab Malik, who have both claimed the meeting didn't happen, with Raut even making a u-turn after originally stating that such meetings happen.

Amit Shah's response after meeting Sharad Pawar

Meanwhile, after his meeting with Sharad Pawar, Amit Shah did not deny meeting Pawar. However, during his interaction with the media, he had also said that 'Not everything can be made public'. Even so, the NCP on its part has denied that any such meeting took place between the two leaders. 

'Nothing like a secret meeting': Shiv Sena

On the other hand, MVA constituent and NCP's ally Shiv Sena too denied that the meeting was politically motivated. Shiv Sena MP and spokesperson Sanjay Raut on Monday said that there was no 'secret meeting' between Amit Shah and Sharad Pawar. Raut also maintained that nothing was wrong if both leaders met. 

“There is nothing like a secret meeting. If Amit Shah and Pawar have met, what is wrong with it? Can’t any other leader meet Amit Shah? Nothing is wrong with it,” he added. \

The meeting, if at all, comes at a time when the Maharashtra government has been rocked by the arrest of Sachin Vaze and resulting Vazegate scandal. Recently, for the first time, the Shiv Sena and NCP have openly countered one another, with Sanjay Raut's opinion on Anil Deshmukh being an 'accidental Home Minister' being replied to by Maharashtra's DyCM Ajit Pawar.