MUMBAI: Responding to BJP MLA Ashish Shelar’s revelation that a three-party coalition of the BJP, Shiv Sena and the NCP had almost been finalised in the year 2017 but could not proceed because of the NCP’s objection to the Sena, deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar asked on Thursday why Shelar had not mentioned this for the last five years.
“We are in 2022, why is he talking about it now? Since 2017, many leaders have switched parties and their statements are now different. Bringing out such old issues doesn’t make any sense, and no one is interested in this. There should be a discussion on issues facing the state and development works,” Pawar said.
Significantly, Ajit Pawar had himself allied with the BJP to form the short-lived government with Devendra Fadnavis in 2019 before the Maha Vikas Aghadi government was formed in Maharashtra.
Ajit Pawar also refuted the BJP’s allegation that the MNS had the NCP’s backing.
“If the MNS had the backing of the NCP, would Raj Thackeray have called Sharad Pawar casteist? While Raj Thackeray is giving speeches today, he is not criticizing the BJP. He is only hitting out against Shiv Sena, Congress and NCP,” he said. He pointed out that in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls in 2019, Raj Thackeray had taken the opposite stand and targeted the BJP.
He also responded to jibes that independent MP Navneet Rana, who is now targeting the MVA, was earlier an NCP candidate in 2014. “In 2014, she was an NCP candidate. In 2019, both she and her husband were backed by the NCP. Will the ones we back stay with us? We don’t have any mechanism to check this,” he said.
He said that even nationally, politicians changed their affiliations. “At one time, Mamata (Banerjee) was with the BJP and now she is an opponent. Nitish Kumar is sometimes with the BJP and sometimes an opponent,” Pawar said.
Environment minister Aaditya Thackeray said that he wasn’t aware of any offer to the NCP by the BJP. “Why go into the past. We should look forward and work for the people. There is a three-party government in Maharashtra and people have full faith in this government,” he said.
