Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut to meet Maharashtra Governor as standoff on govt formation continues
Mumbai: Amid the ongoing tussle over government formation in Maharashtra, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said his scheduled meeting with Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari on Monday evening will be a "courtesy call" with no political motive.
Raut said the governor was like the state's guardian and therefore, he would meet him to talk on various issues.
"It will be a courtesy meet and not political. I am going to talk to the governor on various issues. We will also inform him about our stand," he told reporters here without elaborating.
The meeting is slated to take place a day after the Rajya Sabha member claimed his party would soon have its chief minister with the support of "170 MLAs".
With the deadlock over formation of government continuing in the state, Raut also said on Sunday that talks with the BJP will take place only on the issue of the chief minister's post.
However, Chief Minister Fadnavis told reporters in Akola on Sunday that the new government will be formed soon.
Amid the impasse, the Sena also appeared to have reached out to the NCP as its senior leader and former deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar on Sunday disclosed to reporters a message sent to him by Raut.
The message read: "Namaskar mi Sanjay Raut. Jai Maharashtra". Reacting to it, Pawar said, "This means I should call him. I will call and check."
With the government formation in Maharashtra in a limbo, NCP chief Sharad Pawar is scheduled to meet Congress president Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi on Monday.
Chief Minister Fadnavis is also scheduled to meet BJP president and Union Home Minister Amit Shah in the national capital on Monday. In the recent polls to 288-member state Assembly, the BJP won 105 seats, Shiv Sena-56, NCP-54 and Congress-44.
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TN CM Vijay calls fuel price hike ‘unacceptable’, seeks rollback
Chennai (PTI): Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Friday slammed the increase of Rs 3 per litre in petrol and diesel prices, calling it "unacceptable", and demanded its immediate rollback, claiming the revision would affect various sections of society.
He said oil marketing companies do not reduce prices in line with global crude price trends and "take the profits".
"Union government oil marketing companies have increased the price of petrol and diesel by Rs 3 per litre. This is not acceptable," Vijay said in a statement.
The hike has been effected after the "five-state polls" (four states and one union territory), he added.
This price rise will largely affect the income of the poor and middle class using two-wheelers and small vehicles, as well as others dependent on vehicles for their livelihood, the CM said.
It will ultimately result in an increase in the prices of daily commodities and also "affect the purchasing power of the poor," he added.
Citing the chain effect of the price revision, such as increased input costs for small units, he said it could lead to a "slowdown" in the market and exports.
"Therefore, I urge the union government to immediately roll back the price hike that will affect the poor and middle-class people and SMEs," Vijay added.
Global crude oil prices have surged more than 50 per cent since US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28 and Tehran’s subsequent retaliation, which disrupted energy flows through the Strait of Hormuz, a key artery for global oil shipments.
Petrol and diesel prices are now at their highest level since May 2022.
