Ajit Pawar’s NCP faction aligned with BJP for fear of ED probe: Sharad Pawar
The Hindu
NCP chief Pawar slams rebel faction, says they defected to avoid ED probe. He urges party workers to rebuild NCP, stresses importance of social media. Criticizes BJP for misusing power, expresses concern over CBSE circular on Partition.
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar, taking aim at the rebel faction led by his nephew Ajit Pawar, on Sunday rubbished their claim that they had aligned with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to ensure Maharashtra’s development. He remarked they had defected fearing investigation by Central agencies.
Mr. Pawar was addressing his party workers at Pune, as part of a Statewide tour to rebuild his party following the split engineered by his nephew last month.
“Some of our colleagues, who have changed their party, claim they went there [to the BJP] for the sake of Maharashtra’s development. This is nonsense. Most of those who defected were facing an Enforcement Directorate (ED) probe launched by the [BJP-led] Central government and were not ready to face that probe,” he said.
The NCP patriarch said that those from his party who had joined the BJP-ruled government were forced to speak from the BJP’s side on any question.
“They have been told that if you speak on our behalf, there is no problem. But if you do not, then we [the BJP] will send you somewhere else. Those who were afraid to face the probe went over to the other side,” he said.
Mr. Pawar observed that in stark contrast to the position taken by the rebel NCP leaders led by Mr. Ajit Pawar who joined the government, former Home Minister and senior NCP leader Anil Deshmukh had faced jail for 14 months as he refused the BJP’s offer to join them.
“Anil Deshmukh flatly refused to join the BJP, saying he had not committed any crime. He refused to change his beliefs. The same with the editor of the Saamana [Shiv Sena UBT leader Sanjay Raut],” Mr. Pawar said.
The Opposition Congress demanded that the government open the Gandhi Vatika Museum, depicting Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy and freedom struggle, built at a cost of ₹85 crore in Jaipur’s Central Park last year, during the Congress-led regime in Rajasthan. The museum has not been opened to the public, reportedly because of the administration’s engagements with the State Assembly and Lok Sabha elections.
Almaya Munnettam (Lay People to the Fore), group in the Ernakulam-Angamaly Archdiocese of the Syro-Malabar Church opposed to the synod-recommended Mass, rejected a circular issued by Major Archbishop Raphael Thattil and apostolic administrator Bosco Puthur on June 9 to implement the unified Mass in the archdiocese from July 3.
Pakistan coach Gary Kirsten stated that “not so great decision making” contributed to his side’s defeat to India in the Group-A T20 World Cup clash here on Sunday. The batting unit came apart in the chase, after being well placed at 72 for two. With 48 runs needed from eight overs, Pakistan found a way to panic and lose. “Maybe not so great decision making,” Kirsten said at the post-match press conference, when asked to explain the loss.