Sharad Pawar’s NCP cosying up to BJP

While the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is still trying to work out ways to reunite with estranged ally Shiv Sena, the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) is cosying up to the

While the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is still trying to work out ways to reunite with estranged ally Shiv Sena, the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) is cosying up to the BJP.

It all started with Pawar supporting the minority government of the BJP in the state. During the three-day special session of the Assembly, the NCP ensured the BJP wins the trust vote and the post of the Assembly speaker. On Friday, Pawar and his family participated in the Swachh Bharat campaign in Baramati.

On Saturday, Pawar’s nephew Ajit held a meeting of office-bearers of the Pune civic body and zilla parishad — both controlled by the NCP— on various pending issues such as garbage disposal, metro, laying new railway lines and developing infrastructure on the plot owned by the ministry of defence. He told the media he would take help of BJP’s ministers in the Centre to solve the issues.

“The issues are related to the ministries held by leaders from the state, with whom we share a good rapport,”said Ajit.“I have asked the mayor of Pune to write a letter seeking appointments with the ministers concerned in Delhi,” Ajit said.

Justifying the participation of the Pawar family in the Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan, Ajit said, “Narendra Modi is a democratically-elected Prime Minister. Why is it wrong for any party or its leaders to join his campaign?”

Responding to Modi’s call, Pawar has adopted Khataw village in Satara district, and several other villages have been adopted by his party members in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.

Holding that the state government should have gone for division of votes to prove majority, Ajit said, “I don’t know how many days the government will survive. But it will survive till it works.”