Maha CM mocks those predicting his govt’s fall, says they will be disappointed

Thane: Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Sunday ridiculed people who used to routinely predict the fall of his government by wondering which astrologer they were consulting, his comments coming on a day when Ajit Pawar joined it along with eight other NCP MLAs.

Pawar was sworn in as deputy chief minister after he managed to bring about a vertical split in the Nationalist Congress Party.

“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,” he said.

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

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 also laid foundation stones of 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 different coloured ration cards was now dome away with and all 12.5 crore people of the state are eligible.