Express News Service
MUMBAI: NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Wednesday took a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s comment that he would return as PM in 2024, by drawing an analogy with a similar remark made by Maharashtra BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis in 2019.
“Ahead of the 2019 Maharashtra state assembly election, incumbent chief minister Devendra Fadnavis in his election speeches used to proclaim that he will come back again as chief minister of Maharashtra. But what happened to him after the election? He did return but not as chief minister of Maharashtra, but at a secondary post,” Pawar said sarcastically.
Fadnavis is now the deputy chief minister in the coalition government formed with Shiva Sena (Shinde). Pawar said PM Modi’s recent speeches show that he must be seeking guidance and advice from Fadnavis.
“The current mood in the country is not conducive for the BJP’s return… No matter how much he claims to ‘come back’, he will end up like Devendra Fadnavis,” he said, in a swipe at Fadnavis’ often-repeated slogan of ‘Mee Punha Yaeen’ (I will return) during the 2019 election campaign.
Pawar also criticised the PM on the Manipur front. North-east states, particularly Manipur is burning, but the PM has not addressed the major issues in a state where women are nakedly paraded, violence is taking place and two main communities are completely divided, the NCP leader said.
He also asserted that there was “no question of joining” the BJP and clarified that his meeting with his nephew Ajit Pawar in Pune was “not at all a secret” meeting.
“I am very much with the MVA…Our united opposition — the INDIA alliance — will give an alternative to BJP. We have a meeting on August 31 and September 1 in Mumbai, where many key issues will be discussed and the agenda against the BJP for the 2024 Lok Sabha election will be also prepared,” he added.
Three-week EC extension to NCP factions
The Election Commission on Wednesday granted a three-week extension to the warring factions of the NCP to respond to its notice related to the party’s name and official symbol. Both the factions — one led by Sharad Pawar and another by his nephew Ajit Pawar — had sought a four-week extension to submit their responses to the EC notices on their respective claims to the party name and official symbol.
MUMBAI: NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Wednesday took a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s comment that he would return as PM in 2024, by drawing an analogy with a similar remark made by Maharashtra BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis in 2019.
“Ahead of the 2019 Maharashtra state assembly election, incumbent chief minister Devendra Fadnavis in his election speeches used to proclaim that he will come back again as chief minister of Maharashtra. But what happened to him after the election? He did return but not as chief minister of Maharashtra, but at a secondary post,” Pawar said sarcastically.
Fadnavis is now the deputy chief minister in the coalition government formed with Shiva Sena (Shinde). Pawar said PM Modi’s recent speeches show that he must be seeking guidance and advice from Fadnavis.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });
“The current mood in the country is not conducive for the BJP’s return… No matter how much he claims to ‘come back’, he will end up like Devendra Fadnavis,” he said, in a swipe at Fadnavis’ often-repeated slogan of ‘Mee Punha Yaeen’ (I will return) during the 2019 election campaign.
Pawar also criticised the PM on the Manipur front. North-east states, particularly Manipur is burning, but the PM has not addressed the major issues in a state where women are nakedly paraded, violence is taking place and two main communities are completely divided, the NCP leader said.
He also asserted that there was “no question of joining” the BJP and clarified that his meeting with his nephew Ajit Pawar in Pune was “not at all a secret” meeting.
“I am very much with the MVA…Our united opposition — the INDIA alliance — will give an alternative to BJP. We have a meeting on August 31 and September 1 in Mumbai, where many key issues will be discussed and the agenda against the BJP for the 2024 Lok Sabha election will be also prepared,” he added.
Three-week EC extension to NCP factions
The Election Commission on Wednesday granted a three-week extension to the warring factions of the NCP to respond to its notice related to the party’s name and official symbol. Both the factions — one led by Sharad Pawar and another by his nephew Ajit Pawar — had sought a four-week extension to submit their responses to the EC notices on their respective claims to the party name and official symbol.
