MUMBAI: Maharashtra Forests Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar on Friday said he was unwilling to hold alliance talks with Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray over criticism of the killing of the man eater tigress Avni.Mungantiwar, who was the state president of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for two terms before 2013, shared a good rapport with Thackeray.
He had played the role of trouble shooter whenever the alliance between the Sena and the BJP came into trouble over the past four years.
“I had thought that we were good friends and he won’t criticise facts. However, he did so....” said the minister.“Even while everybody else from our party (BJP) was against Shiv Sena due to the harsh language used by their leaders, I’ve stood with them. Uddhav ji knows this. And when he criticised in spite of knowing all these things, I was deeply hurt,” Mungantiwar added.
“I don’t wish to be part of the alliance talks with Shiv Sena anymore,” he added.While demanding a judicial probe in Avni’s killing, Thackeray had questioned the formation of a committee by the state government. “The committee nominated to inquire about Avni’’s killing is just for namesake. How can someone nominate committee where members are part of the killing?” Thackeray had said.
Killing of a maneater
Tigress Avni, suspected to have killed 13 people in the state, was shot dead on November 2. Union minister Maneka Gandhi had demanded the formation of a panel to probe the killing