‘Pawar saheb said Modi will be PM in 2024’: Newly sworn-in Maharashtra minister Chhagan Bhujpal

Chhagan Bhujbal claimed that the Patna opposition meeting, which saw 32 leaders from 15 Opposition parties agree to jointly take on the BJP, lacked unity.

Minutes after being sworn in as the deputy chief minister of Maharashtra, Ajit Pawar on Sunday credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership for inspiring him to join the NDA government. Senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Chhagan Bhujbal, who was also part of the surprise cabinet expansion, echoed Ajit’s comments in a press conference after the sudden swearing-in ceremony. Bhujpal claimed that NCP chief Sharad Pawar had predicted that Modi will come back to power as the PM in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

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NCP chief Sharad Pawar being felicitated by Chhagan Bhujbal during party's foundation day celebrations in New Delhi in June. (PTI)

He said, "Pawar Saheb himself said that Narendra Modi is coming back as the Prime Minister and as a positive gesture, we have decided to come with this govt for development." He also added that the recent mega opposition meeting in Patna, which saw 32 leaders from 15 Opposition parties agree to jointly take on the BJP, lacked unity.

Ajit also praised the country’s progress under Modi and his popularity in foreign countries. “I have not seen a single leader from the opposition who is fighting for the cause of the country. In fact, since 1984 no leader singlehandedly led the country. But PM Modi has been doing it for the last nine years. Everyone supports him and appreciates his leadership. We will fight the upcoming Lok Sabha and Assembly elections with them (BJP) and that is why we have taken this decision,” he added.

Read: Full list of MLAs who took oath as ministers with Ajit Pawar in Maharashtra

On the opposition’s attack that the defected NCP MLAs had criminal cases against them and was seeking relief from investigating agencies, Bhujpal said that it is ‘incorrect’. He said, “They (opposition) are saying that…we are under pressure. Most of us either no longer have cases against us or the investigations are underway. The Court has not taken any coercive steps against us because there is nothing concrete against us.”

Read: After Sena vs Sena, it's NCP vs NCP? What's Praful Patel's role in Ajit Pawar's coup?

"If we can go with Shiv Sena, we can go with the BJP. It is for the state's development," Ajit further explained the rationale behind jumping ship.

The leaders were joined by NCP veteran Praful Patel, who was recently appointed as the party’s working president, in the press conference.