NCP chief Sharad Pawar said on Saturday Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray took the decision to ease the curbs during the coronavirus pandemic-induced lockdown at the right time and in his “cautious” style of functioning.
Pawar, in an exclusive interview to the Shiv Sena’s mouthpiece Saamana, insisted there is no difference of opinion between him and Uddhav Thackeray over the way the government brought in the relaxations during the lockdown.
This is the first time Saamana has interviewed a leader from some other party.
In the interview to Saamana’s executive editor and Sena MP Sanjay Raut, Pawar said he came to a conclusion that curbs should be gradually lifted to revive the economy after discussions with several people and brought it to the notice of the chief minister.
The Maharashtra government under its Mission Begin Again started relaxing lockdown norms from June and there were speculations that Thackeray was earlier unwilling to open up the state but Pawar intervened to get the curbs eased across the state.
Raut asked if there were any differences on lifting the lockdown referring to newspaper reports about them and Pawar refuted them.
“Absolutely not… During this entire situation, I have been in touch with the chief minister and am even today… During this time, I had discussions with labour bodies, business-owners etc. I formed an opinion based on that and brought it to the notice of the CM,” Pawar said.
“This is not called a difference of opinion. Delhi and Karnataka lifted relaxation, it faced issues but economic activities started again. Such steps have to be taken. If the entire state’s and the country’s economy is disrupted then the ill-effects will be far greater than coronavirus which the future generations will suffer,” he said.
Pawar said though some might think Thackeray delayed giving relaxations but they came at the right time. “The decision that came was true to the nature of the chief minister. Meaning, a decision should be taken but with caution. To take a step by seeing all sides, so that there is no need to go back on it,” he said.
In the first of the three-part interview published in Saamana, Pawar spoke also about the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the changing nature of political activities after the coronavirus pandemic, his relationship with former Sena chief Bal Thackeray among other issues.