No 'Operation Lotus' in Maharashtra, says Devendra Fadnavis after meeting Amit Shah

Mumbai: Senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis on Friday said no "Operation Lotus" was happening in Maharashtra as the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government will collapse on its own due to its "internal contradictions".

Fadnavis made this statement while speaking to reporters in New Delhi, after a meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

The former Maharashtra chief minister claimed that his meeting with Shah was "non-political" as it was aimed at seeking financial assistance for the sugar industry in the state.

He said he also briefed Shah about the coronavirus scenario in the state and sought time from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to apprise him of the situation.

Talking about the meeting, Fadnavis said, "There was no political discussion. We are not interested in destabilising the state government...Time is now to fight coronavirus."

"There is no 'Operation Lotus' in Maharashtra...We have already said that the government is full of internal contradictions and when it falls because of it, we will see," he said.

'Operation Lotus' refers to the alleged attempts by the BJP to engineer defections from other parties.

The Leader of opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly also rejected the speculation that he was tipped to get a role in national politics.

When asked about leaders from western Maharashtra accompanying him to Delhi, he said they are associated with the sugar industry.

BJP leaders Harshvardhan Patil, Dhananjay Mahadik, Ranjit Sinh Mohite, MLA Jaykumar Gore, MP Ranjit Nimbalkar, and Vinay Kore of Jansurajya Shakti Party, an ally of BJP, accompanied Fadnavis during the meeting with Shah.