Thackeray meets with Modi; addresses issues of Maratha reservation, GST compensation and Metro car shed

On Tuesday, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to address the Maratha reservation, outstanding GST compensation, and the intended Kanjur Metro car shed.

Uddhav Thackeray arrived in New Delhi on Tuesday. He headed a team that included Ajit Pawar, the deputy chief minister, and Ashok Chavan, the Congress leader.

Thackeray told reporters, "Discussed issues related to the Maratha reservation, Metro car shed, GST compensation with the prime minister.”

The meeting covered concerns related to the Goods and Services Tax (GST) compensation, according to Pawar, who serves as Maharashtra's Finance Minister. Maharashtra was anticipated to earn over Rs 46,000 crore in GST compensation, according to Pawar, although it received Rs 22,000 crore only. He stated that Maharashtra still owed Rs 24,306 crore from the Centre.

The administration of Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress intends to relocate the Metro car shed to Kanjur. Both the state and the central government claim ownership of the said property, due to which the case is now being heard in court.

The previous BJP administration, led by Devendra Fadnavis, had proposed to build the Metro vehicle shed near Aarey, but it met with massive protest against this proposal led by environmentalists and citizens.

The Maha Vikas Aghadi dispensation announced the intent to relocate the Metro car shed to Kanjur shortly after taking power. Since then, the location of the auto shed has been a point of conflict.

The topic of the Maratha reservation was at the top of the priority list of the meeting. The delegation's composition is noteworthy since it featured two senior Maratha leaders, Pawar and Chavan.

Chavan told reporters, “We requested the PM to intervene to remove the 50 per cent cap on the reservation. We requested the PM to press for it in the court. The 50 per cent cap is affecting various reservations including OBC reservation in elections."

After taking over as the state's chief minister back in November 2019, this is Thackeray's second visit to New Delhi.

Thackeray stated that the prime minister agreed to look into the issues which were discussed in the meeting, which lasted for about an hour and a half.