Athawale offers to mediate between Uddhav Thackeray and Fadnavis

Union Minister Ramdas Athawale said on Friday that he is ready to act as a mediator between Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. According to Athawale, he may, going forward, try to bring the two leaders together for good.

Athawale, who heads the Republican Party of India (Athawale), was speaking to the media. He said Uddhav Thackeray, Devendra Fadnavis and Raj Thackeray had shared the same stage. Athawale said the leaders had come together on one occasion. He said leaders are often seen on the same stage at weddings and other social events.

Athawale said, "I think they came together on this occasion. Leaders often share a stage at weddings and other events. It was hard to imagine Uddhav Thackeray and Devendra Fadnavis on one stage, but Raj Thackeray brought them together for a day."

He also said, "I too may try, going forward, to bring Devendra Fadnavis and Uddhav Thackeray together for good."

The sight of Uddhav Thackeray, Raj Thackeray and Devendra Fadnavis together has drawn public attention amid Maharashtra's changing political equations. Athawale's statement has further fuelled speculation about the possibility of reconciliation among these leaders.

Earlier, on October 29, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and Worli MLA Aaditya Thackeray criticised the state government's move to bring "floating hoardings" to the sea. He called the decision "extremely irresponsible, possibly corrupt, and one that spoils the beauty of Mumbai".

The Maharashtra Maritime Board had invited tenders for floating advertisements on barges at the city's main waterfront. In a letter to Chief Minister Fadnavis on October 28, Aaditya Thackeray opposed the move. He wrote, "I am writing to register my clear objection to the plan to uglify the city by now adding 'floating hoardings' to the sea."

The letter went on, "First of all, sir, because of unchecked pollution and the absence of any serious action against it, most people in the city cannot see the sea even from a short distance away from the shore. Sadly, what this absurd decision, which backs a nexus of hoarding contractors, will show is only advertisements pasted on the faces of citizens who are already suffering from rampant pollution on land."