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KCR trying to gain foothold in Maha, but Mayawati and Mulayam couldn’t succeed in past: Ajit Pawar
NCP member and the Leader of Opposition Ajit Pawar expressed doubts over the efforts made by Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao to make BRS gain inroads in Maharashtra
Pune: Senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) member and the Leader of Opposition Ajit Pawar expressed doubts over the efforts made by Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao to make his Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) gain inroads in Maharashtra.
Pawar said in Pune on Monday that even Mayawati of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Mulayam Singh Yadav of Samajwadi Party (SP) had tried unsuccessfully to gain a toehold in the western state.
“Regional parties can strengthen themselves outside their home states. Rao is possibly trying to expand BRS outside Telangana as he might want to become a national leader. As chief ministers of Uttar Pradesh, Mayawati and Mulayam Singh Yadav had tried to expand their respective parties here, but could not get desired results,” Pawar said.
“Rao is Telangana CM, but who is going to see the work of his party here in Maharashtra? Some leaders from the NCP and other parties are joining BRS but that is happening out of concern that they might not get tickets to contest due to the alliance in Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) and the one between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Shiv Sena,” he said.
The senior NCP leader also questioned the funds used to put up huge hoardings of BRS in Maharashtra and TV advertisements. Rao, popularly known as KCR, held rallies in Nanded in Maharashtra recently and slammed the BJP-led government at the Centre and the state for neglecting farmers and the downtrodden.
Asked about Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) chief Prakash Ambedkar visiting Aurangzeb’s tomb, Pawar said he (Ambedkar) can go anywhere as per his wish.
“However, his visit to Aurangzeb’s tomb has not gone down well with ‘Shivpremis’ (followers of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj). Everyone knows the general opinion of people in Maharashtra about the Mughal ruler,” he said.
Ambedkar is the grandson of Babasaheb Ambedkar, the principal architect of the Constitution that gives us the right to go anywhere, “but it is up to that person how to use that right”, Pawar said.
May stake claim for post of Opposition in LC
Post defection by Manisha Kayande from Shiv Sena (UBT) to Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has indicated it may stake claim for the post of Opposition leader in the legislative council (LC).
The 78-member legislative council had till last week 11 members from Shiv Sena (UBT) and 10 from NCP. However, after Kayande’s defection, the Sena (UBT) and the NCP now has equal tally.
“The previous Speaker had once told me that whichever party has more seats, the Opposition leader will be of that party. We have not thought of the current status, but will deliberate about it soon.” Pawar was responding to a remark by his party colleague Amol Mitkari, who openly said that with Sena and NCP tally same, the current leader of Opposition in legislative council Ambadas Danve be replaced with Eknath Khadse.
