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I insisted that Uddhav Thackeray become Maha CM: Sharad Pawar’s snipe at Devendra Fadnavis
Sharad Pawar’s remarks came on Saturday after BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis claimed Uddhav Thackeray covertly nurtured ambitions to become a CM but kept talking about installing a “Shiv Sainik” on the post
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar said he had insisted that Uddhav Thackeray become the chief minister of Maharashtra after Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) was formed around two years ago.
Pawar’s remarks came on Saturday after BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis claimed Thackeray covertly nurtured ambitions to become a CM but kept talking about installing a “Shiv Sainik” on the post. Earlier in the day, Fadnavis, who served as Maharashtra chief minister between 2014 and 2019, had alleged that the MVA government was formed through dishonesty.
“I feel that respected Uddhavji should now accept that he had ambitions of becoming a chief minister which he fulfilled. In politics, having ambitions is not wrong. But if you wanted to keep the word, you could have made senior Sena leaders Diwakar Raote, Subhash Desai or Eknath Shinde the CM,” Fadnavis said.
Speaking in Pimpri-Chinchwad, Pawar said, “When we held a meeting to form the MVA and to discuss the leadership of the alliance, I forced him (Uddhav Thackeray) to become the chief minister. I have seen these people since their childhood. (Shiv Sena founder) Balasaheb Thackeray and I might have political differences, but we were close.”
The NCP president then went on to say that he saw nothing wrong for a son of a person who contributed for Maharashtra to become the CM. “I thought why not the son of a person who had contributed for Maharashtra should become the CM and I insisted Uddhav Thackeray to become the chief minister. Fadnavis had worked with Uddhav so he knows how Uddhav is. He should stop questioning repeatedly about how Uddhav became CM,” the NCP chief said.
Pawar said the MVA government will last full five years and the constituent parties will be re-elected (in 2024 polls).
Reiterating that the Centre was misusing central agencies in Maharashtra, Pawar said the income tax raids on Pawar family members were unnecessarily carried out for many days as there was pressure on I-T sleuths
“The Central agencies are being misused to destabilise the Maharashtra government. But I am sure it would not work and this government will complete five years tenure complete.”
Pawar also attacked former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh without taking his name in connection with the Anil Deshmukh case.
“Allegations of extortion were raised against (then home minister of Maharashtra) Anil Deshmukh by then Mumbai police commissioner. When it was asked to Mumbai police commissioner whether the police implemented Deshmukh’s alleged instructions to police to collect money then he denied it.”
(With agency inputs)
