Maharashtra CM Shinde mocks Opposition for ‘predicting’ his govt’s fall

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Sunday (July 2) took a dig at the Opposition for repeatedly “predicting” the fall of his government, wondering which astrologer they were consulting.

His comments came on a day when Ajit Pawar joined his government along with eight other Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MLAs. Pawar was sworn in as deputy chief minister during the day.

“From day one, opposition parties have been predicting the fall of the state government. Now, they must be very disappointed. I wonder which astrologer is giving them such advice,” Shinde said.

“Working on an operation”

Speaking at a civic event where he arrived at 6 pm instead of the scheduled 2 pm, Shinde said he was late as he was “working on an operation”, a light take on the political developments of the day.

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“Ajit Pawar and his team joined the government because they are impressed with the work done by the state government and their joining has added further strength,” he said.

Shinde, who inaugurated several civic works and laid foundation stones for upcoming projects, said funds will be made available for local civic bodies, including the one in Mira-Bhayander, as it is a vital connector between Thane and Mumbai.

Shinde also said the cap on health insurance coverage of Rs 5 lakh to people holding differently coloured ration cards was now dome away with and all 12.5 crore people of the state were eligible.

(With agency inputs)