Rejecting Raj Thackeray’s allegation that the NCP plays “caste politics”, party chief Sharad Pawar on Sunday said the MNS president never takes a consistent stand on any issue and stays in “hibernation” for three to four months a year which is his “specialty”.
Speaking at a rally in Mumbai’s Shivaji Park on Saturday, Raj Thackeray criticized Sharad Pawar, accusing him of “playing caste cards from time to time and dividing society”.
“Conversely, the NCP brings together people of all castes. Raj Thackeray should have studied the history of the NCP (before commenting),” Powar told reporters in Kolhapur. In response to a question in the MNS chief’s speech, Power took a jolt that “Raj Thackeray stays in the underground for three to four months and suddenly comes to give a speech. This is his specialty. I don’t know what he did for a few months.”
Power said the MNS chief spoke on many issues but lacked a consistent position. “He talked about the politics of the NCP and caste. The fact is that Chhagan Bhujbal, and Madhukarrao Pichad, among others, served as the leaders of the NCP House. Everyone knows what community they belong to,” said the former Union Minister.
Power says his nephew and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has become the Leader of the House after completing 30 years in the Assembly.
The NCP chief added, “Ajit Pawar decided to take up the post when many NCP leaders felt that he deserved it as he had completed 30 years in the assembly.” Asked about Raj Thackeray, whose party is known for its aggressive son-in-law brand of politics, praising Uttar Pradesh, Power said, “I have said before, he can talk about anything. I don’t know what he saw in UP. “
“What happened in UP recently? The election results were different for different reasons. But in Lakhimpur Kheri, where farmers were killed … Farmers were protesting at the UP border, but no one came to solve their problems. A lot has happened to the Yogi government and if he (Raj Thackeray) ) Praises that government but I don’t want to say anything. (Chief Minister) It will not happen under the direction of Uddhav Thackeray, added Power.
The NCP and Congress are elements of the Shiv Sena-led MVA government.
Asked if Raj Thackeray was trying to align his party’s position with the BJP ahead of the Maharashtra by-elections, Pawar cited MNS’s poor performance in past elections. Maharashtra knows what his (Raj Thackeray’s) position was before and now. At present, his position seems to be in favor of Narendra Modi, but we cannot say what his next move will be. “I can’t say how effective MNS will be in the municipal elections. But the last election figures show that they (MNS) have won a limited number of seats and that number can be counted on the fingers of one hand. The support he is getting, but I don’t know. Raj Thackeray, a one-time supporter of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, later became his bitter critic, often finding “flaws” in Gujarat’s development model when Modi was the chief minister of the state.
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