Pawar leading Maha govt, says BJP's Patil after Raut remarks

Hours after Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut said Sharad Pawar "advises" the Maharashtra government, BJP state unit chief Chandarakant Patil on Saturday claimed the NCP supremo held primacy in the ruling dispensation. Sharad Pawar is leading the Maharashtra government and not (chief minister) Uddhav Thackeray," Patil said.

Hours after Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut said Sharad Pawar "advises" the Maharashtra government, BJP state unit chief Chandrakant Patil on Saturday claimed the NCP supremo held primacy in the ruling dispensation. Raut was speaking on Sunday at an event organised by the Pune Union of Working Journalists.

"We are happy Raut has accepted that Pawar advises the MVA government. Sharad Pawar is leading the Maharashtra government and not (chief minister) Uddhav Thackeray," Patil said. He went on to add, in a sarcastic vein, that the BJP did not care if the Sena-NCP-Congress MVA government consulted "Sharad Pawar or Parth Pawar".