'How many breaking news you give, we will not break': Mahayuti leaders

The ruling Mahayuthi alliance of Maharashtra staunchly denied speculation about a rift within ahead of the budget session of the state assembly.  Appearing before the media, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said, "There is no Cold War among ruling allies. Both myself and Eknath Shinde know what we do when we are together. We have successfully fought the Opposition and got a landslide victory in the Assembly," he added. The press conference took place after the Cabinet meeting and customary tea meeting which was boycotted by the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi. "The situation of the Opposition is not like us -- we are together... There is tension and resentment among the opposition itself," he said.
Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar assured that despite the opposition's absence from the pre-session meeting, the government would strive to run the session smoothly. Maharashtra's Budget Session will begin on Monday and conclude on March 26. "The opposition did not attend the meeting ahead of the Budget Session. The opposition has sent us a letter...we will definitely try to run this session smoothly," said Pawar. The State Budget for the fiscal year 2025-26 will be presented in both Houses of the legislature on March 10 by Ajit Pawar, who also holds the portfolio of Finance and Planning.
Deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde accused the previous Maha Vikas Agahdi government of stalling many development projects and asserted that the Mahayuti will remain intact. "This is the second session of our government. Only we (Devendra Fadnavis and I) have changed roles. But yes, Ajit Dada's role is constant...We have started many projects which the MVA government stopped. Ajit Dada will present the Maharashtra budget.In a lighter moment, Shinde jokingly dismissed the idea of a "cold war" within the government and expressed confidence in the government's unity. "No matter how many breaking news you give, we (Mahayuti) will not break. What is cold war? There is nothing like that. In this scorching heat of Maharashtra... how is a cold war possible?..," Shinde said.