E Shinde’s Party Issues a Warn, “If Ajit Pawar Joins BJP With Group of NCP Leaders, We Won’t Be in Govt”

GG News Bureau

Mumbai, 19th April. Sanjay Shirsat, a Shiv Sena spokesperson, has warned that if NCP leader Ajit Pawar joins the BJP with a group of party leaders, the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena will not be part of the Maharashtra government.

Shirsat, whose party shares power with the Bharatiya Janata Party in Maharashtra, told reporters in Mumbai on Tuesday that he believes the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) will not go directly with the BJP.

“Our policy is clear about it. The NCP is a party which betrays. We will not be with the NCP even in power. If the BJP takes NCP with them, Maharashtra will not like it. We decided to move out (of the earlier undivided Shiv Sena led by Uddhav Thackeray) because people didn’t like us going with the Congress and NCP,” he said.

Shirsat stated that Ajit Pawar has not stated that he wants to join the NCP.

“We left the Congress-NCP (which were part of the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi government) because we didn’t want to be with them. Ajit Pawar doesn’t have a free hand there. Therefore, if he leaves the NCP, we will welcome him. If he comes along with along with a group of NCP (leaders), we will not be in the government,” the Shiv Sena leader said.

He claimed Ajit Pawar was upset because his son, Parth Pawar, had previously lost an election. His discontent has nothing to do with the Supreme Court issue involving the disqualification of 16 Shiv Sena MLAs.

Shirsat was recently named spokesperson for Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena.

Parth Pawar was defeated in the 2019 Lok Sabha election from Maharashtra’s Maval constituency.

“Ajit Pawar not being reachable is not a new thing. But his displeasure, which is being shown by the media, and our case (pending before the Supreme Court) has no relation. Ajit Pawar is disgruntled since his son Parth Pawar had lost the election,” Shirsat said.

“Ajit Pawar was held responsible for the oath ceremony held at dawn (in November 2019 with Devendra Fadnavis). After two-and-a-half years, Sharad Pawar said it was an experiment to revoke the President’s rule,” he claimed.

Shirsat stated that Ajit Pawar had yet to respond to the incident.

The Devendra Fadnavis-Ajit Pawar government was created in a secretive ceremony in November 2019.

Shirsat stated that Ajit Pawar is a powerful leader who will not readily reveal what is going on in his head.

He also criticized Maha Vikas Aghadi’s decision to stage demonstrations across the state as a show of unity and power.

“We have to search for Ajit Pawar’s stand in the ongoing rallies of MVA. He could not speak at the rally in Nagpur. The party which has only 15 MLAs (referring to Uddhav Thac is the key speaker and the one which has 54 MLAs is side-tracked. This is disrespectful of Ajit Pawar,” he said.