Ajit Pawar dispels buzz about joining BJP

Mumbai: Amid speculations of him joining hands with the ruling BJP, senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar on Monday tried to put to rest the buzz, saying that the people should not believe in rumours.

Speaking at the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) rally in the city, Ajit Pawar also slammed chief minister Eknath Shinde and deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis for “hatching conspiracy to pull down the MVA government.”

“Without any verification, news is being spread and confusion is being created among party workers. I request you all our (MVA) colleagues, there is no reason to believe such stories. Do not allow them to create differences among ourselves,” Ajit Pawar said, while addressing the gathering at Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) on Monday evening. The NCP leader stressed on the unity among MVA allies and said they are not power hungry.

The statement came at the time of widespread speculation that Ajit Pawar was planning a split in the NCP and will join hands with the ruling BJP along with a group of party MLAs. Though NCP chief Sharad Pawar and his nephew have dismissed speculations of a split in the party, the latter’s supporters have been putting up hoardings declaring him the future chief minister of Maharashtra.

In this backdrop, Ajit Pawar not only attended, but even addressed the MVA rally and chose the occasion to launch an attack on Shinde and Fadnavis.

Coming down heavily on Shinde-Fadnavis, Ajit Pawar said that health minister Tanaji Sawant, an MLA from Shiv Sena led by Shinde, recently said that Fadnavis and Shinde held 150 meetings to bring down the MVA government. “If you start conspiring to bring down governments like this, then how will democracy survive in such a big country having many states,” he remarked.

“They (Shinde-Fadnavis) have to come to power by means of treachery. People of Maharashtra have never tolerated such betrayal, the history of Shivaji Maharaj is not like this,” he said.

The NCP leader pointed out that the MVA got success in all elections held in the last 10 months since the Shinde-Fadnavis government came to power. “This indicates that the people are with us and we need to stay together and face them.”

Ajit Pawar also stated that the party workers should be ready to make compromises if the MVA allies are taking two steps back to maintain unity among the three parties—Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress and NCP.

Earlier, the NCP leader did not speak in the ‘Varjamuth’ rally held in Nagpur deepening the speculations over him further.