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Eknath Shinde says friction between BJP and Shiv Sena a media creation, denies complaining to Amit Shah

Breaking the silence over his meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said he is not the sort of person who goes to Delhi to complain against state BJP leaders. He said that any issues within the Mahayuti alliance will be sorted at the state level. Shinde's clarification came after reports that he was unhappy at being sidelined in the decision-making of the BJP-led Mahayuti government and had hence rushed to Delhi to express his grievances to Shah. The meeting between the two leaders lasted for 50 minutes. Shinde said the friction between the Shiv Sena and BJP was a media creation. He clarified that there are no issues between the two alliance partners who both follow the Hindutva ideology. He said that he had a meeting with CM Devendra Fadnavis, where they decided that neither of them would poach each other's party leaders and workers. I also conveyed to my party leaders in the state that they should not induct anyone from the BJP, and the same promise has been given by the BJP as well. We have decided not to do anything that will create trouble in the alliance. We are very much clear since the beginning that state-level issues will be sorted at the state level by sitting together, said Shinde. I am a very positive person who always keeps a positive approach. As an NDA alliance partner, I was invited in Bihar for the oath-taking ceremony of Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, so before going to Bihar, I went to Delhi to meet Union Minister Amit Shah to congratulate him on the NDA victory in Bihar, he said. Shinde also added that in the local body elections, most of the candidates from the Mahayuti are contesting against each other, but they decided that they will not use any low-level language in the campaign that will hurt the alliance and strain the relationship.