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As head of state, it’s Shinde’s responsibility to maintain peace during Dusshera melawa: Sharad Pawar
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Sharad Pawar on Monday appealed both Shiv Sena factions to control their differences so as to ensure peace in Maharashtra
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Sharad Pawar on Monday appealed both Shiv Sena factions to control their differences so as to ensure peace in Maharashtra. The appeal came on the back of both the chief minister Eknath Shinde- and Uddhav Thackeray- led groups turning aggressive over the Dusshera melawa (meet) in Mumbai.
Pawar was in Pune to felicitate Congress leader Sushil Kumar Shinde on receipt of the Maharshi award given away by the Congress leader Aba Bagul-helmed Pune Navratra festival. Speaking to reporters after the programme, Pawar, when asked about the Dusshera melawa and the Sena factions pointing fingers at each other, said, “It is not new that when any party gets divided, there are allegations. Even workers become more aggressive. But it is the duty of senior leaders like us to advise them and maintain peace in the state and society.”
“Both the Shiv Sena and the Shinde group became aggressive against the backdrop of the Dusshera melawa. There is some tension but it is more the responsibility of the chief minister to maintain peace in the state,” Pawar said.
“Shinde is not only a group president but also the head of the state of Maharashtra. As a head of state, it is his moral responsibility to ensure peace in the state. We as senior leaders can only give advice but as a state head, it is his duty to maintain peace,” Pawar further said.
Asked if the NCP would support the Thackeray-led faction, Pawar said, “It is a melawa of a different political party. There is no need for the NCP to participate in it.”
Meanwhile, the Rahul Gandhi-led ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ will soon pass through Maharashtra. Asked if the NCP would participate in the same, Pawar replied in the negative and added that it is the Congress’s programme.
