Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Sunday defended the high bill for food and drink at home, saying, “Shouldn’t we serve tea to the visitor?” NCP leader Ajit Pawar has alleged that the food and drink bill at Shinde residence is staggering 2 crore 68 lakh in the last four months. And replying to this, the CM said that it is customary to extend hospitality to guests, especially those who travel long distances to meet them. He explained that offering tea and water to visitors is a part of their culture and the bill includes the same.
Don’t they know that thousands of people come from far and wide to meet the Chief Minister everyday. Shouldn’t we even give them tea and water?
He said, “They are given tea, not biryani. It is in our culture that when someone comes, they are given tea and water.” ,
Discussion on the strategy of the next election
Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi, the coalition government in Maharashtra, recently held a high-level meeting in Mumbai ahead of the budget session in the state assembly. Several senior leaders of the alliance including Ajit Pawar, Aditya Thackeray and Chhagan Bhujbal were present to discuss their strategy for the upcoming session. The meeting was an opportunity to discuss the progress of the government and determine how best to address the issues faced by the state.
During the meeting, Ajit Pawar demanded a caste-based census in Maharashtra as in Bihar. The leader of the opposition said, “If the Bihar government can do it, why not the Maharashtra government.”
Sticking to Uddhav Thackeray’s statement of holding mid-term polls in the state, Pawar said, “There has been a demand to hold Lok Sabha and Assembly polls together in the past as well and such a possibility could be created in 2024.”
(with inputs from agencies)
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