MUMBAI: Newly elected Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Nitin Gadkari visited Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray on Monday afternoon after a rift developed between their respective political parties.
His visit comes after BJP cross voting against Sena candidates in the recent Maharashtra legislative council polls.
Emerging after nearly 30 minutes, Gadkari refused to talk to the media and drove away. “I have only come to meet Thackeray to seek his blessings,” was his only comment.
Gadkari has been one of Thackeray’s close friends.
Soon after his meeting with Thackeray, Gadkari held a meeting with Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) chief Shibu Soren at BJP state headquarters. Soren had arrived in Mumbai to discuss the BJP’s support with a view to forming the next state government in Jharkhand. Soren is set to take the reins of chief minister of Jharkhand for a third time.
Gadkari defended the BJP’s decision to support the JMM in forming the next government in Jharkhand, stating that the stability and interests of the people of Jharkhand were the BJP’s only concerns in supporting Soren.
Speaking to journalists, Gadkari said that it was Congress and not Soren who was responsible for corruption in politics, adding that the courts have also taken a decision in Soren’s favor.
