No differences on portfolio allocation: Jayant Patil

Maharashtra cabinet minister Jayant Patil said on Wednesday that there were no differences between the allies Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress over the allocation of portfolios.

Patil, who heads state unit of the Nationalist Congress Party, was speaking to reporters at Mantralaya, the state secretariat here.

"There are no differences between us," Patil told reporters when asked about reports of friction between the allies over portfolio allocation, expected to be announced on Wednesday or Thursday.

With the swearing-in of 36 ministers on Monday, the state now has a 43-member council of ministers.

Patil was speaking after attending a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.

The meeting was about how to increase the GST revenue, he said.

About a question about whether the scam-hit Pujab & Maharashtra Cooperative Bank would be merged with Maharashtra State Co-operative (MSC) Bank as demanded by some leaders, Patil, currently in charge of finance department, said, "PMC bank operations are spread over three states. So there are difficulties in merging it with the MSC Bank."
On Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Devendra Fadnavis criticizing the government over its loan waiver scheme, Patil said, "I have sympathy for Fadnavis. He is in opposition now, so he will continue to speak like this."