Railway Minister Prabhu meets Sena chief to 'clear differences'

Prabhu broke his 18-year old tie with Shiv Sena to join BJP before being sworn in as a union minister

Amid attempts of reconciliation by the BJP with its former ally Shiv Sena ahead of the winter session of the Maharashtra Assembly, Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu here met Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray at the latter's residence.

Prabhu, who broke his 18-year-old tie with Shiv Sena to join BJP before being sworn in as a union minister on November 9, met Thackeray to 'clear out differences' between them last night.

"Prabhu is an old colleague of ours. Now that he is also a railway minister, many things were discussed between him and Uddhav ji regarding development of Mumbai and Maharashtra.

"Also, if there are misunderstandings between two people due to any reason, it gets cleared when they meet. Knowing Uddhav ji's nature from a very long time, he will not keep any grudges against anybody," Rajya Sabha MP and senior Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut, told PTI.

The meeting between the two leaders holds significance as Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had last week said that doors for Shiv Sena to join the government still remain open before the winter session begins on December 8.

Talks of a revival of friendship between the 25-year-old allies had gained momentum after NCP Chief Sharad Pawar had asked his party workers to be ready for snap polls, asserting that a stable government in the state was not NCP's responsibility.

"We have to be ready to face snap polls in the state. Having a stable government in Maharashtra isn't NCP's responsibility," Pawar had said, adding that his part was neutral during the trust vote.