Express News Service
MUMBAI: The BJP considers regional parties and their influential leaders as a major threat to their winning prospects in 2024, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) founder Sharad Pawar said. That’s the reason the saffron party wants to break regional parties such as the NCP, the veteran leader told TNIE in an exclusive interview.
“The BJP is using all their might and resources to divide the regional parties… Due to these parties, the BJP is struggling to expand its footprint beyond the North belt,” he added. He, however, cautioned that forging Opposition unity against the BJP is going to be a big challenge. “Opposition parties have to understand that it is not an easy task. They need to be united if they want to defeat the BJP in 2024 Lok Sabha elections,” he said.
Citing the differences among the opposition parties due to the dynamics of regional politics, Pawar said these ‘practical difficulties’ can’t be ignored. “For example, in West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee’s TMC and the Congress are rivals and, hence, can’t easily come together against the BJP. The same issue is in Kerala and other states. If these practical and genuine issues among Opposition parties are not sorted out, then we need to keep open the window of unity post elections… We have to prepare for different types of political scenarios,” he said.
Pawar advised parties not to stretch their differences or criticise each other in such a way that it will cut down communication lines and strain relationships. Meanwhile, Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, who led the rebellion against Pawar senior, and other leaders from his camp including Praful Patel met the veteran leader on Sunday. They requested the senior leader’s support to keep the NCP united. “We asked him (Sharad Pawar) to think about our request over the next some days and guide us. He listened to us quietly but said nothing,” said Praful Patel.
MUMBAI: The BJP considers regional parties and their influential leaders as a major threat to their winning prospects in 2024, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) founder Sharad Pawar said. That’s the reason the saffron party wants to break regional parties such as the NCP, the veteran leader told TNIE in an exclusive interview.
“The BJP is using all their might and resources to divide the regional parties… Due to these parties, the BJP is struggling to expand its footprint beyond the North belt,” he added. He, however, cautioned that forging Opposition unity against the BJP is going to be a big challenge. “Opposition parties have to understand that it is not an easy task. They need to be united if they want to defeat the BJP in 2024 Lok Sabha elections,” he said.
Citing the differences among the opposition parties due to the dynamics of regional politics, Pawar said these ‘practical difficulties’ can’t be ignored. “For example, in West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee’s TMC and the Congress are rivals and, hence, can’t easily come together against the BJP. The same issue is in Kerala and other states. If these practical and genuine issues among Opposition parties are not sorted out, then we need to keep open the window of unity post elections… We have to prepare for different types of political scenarios,” he said. googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });
Pawar advised parties not to stretch their differences or criticise each other in such a way that it will cut down communication lines and strain relationships. Meanwhile, Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, who led the rebellion against Pawar senior, and other leaders from his camp including Praful Patel met the veteran leader on Sunday. They requested the senior leader’s support to keep the NCP united. “We asked him (Sharad Pawar) to think about our request over the next some days and guide us. He listened to us quietly but said nothing,” said Praful Patel.
