Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis were engaged in a verbal duel over the change of government in Maharashtra.
At the Pandharpur-Mangalvedha by-election campaigning, Pawar took a swipe at Fadnavis saying that the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government is strong and it is not a job of anybody to topple it.
Pawar was responding to Fadnavis’ call to the voters to leave it to him to change the government in Maharashtra. He however, exhorted the voters to elect the BJP nominee in the Pandharpur-Mangalvedha by election which is slated for April 17.
Fadnavis had slammed the Shiv Sena-led MVA government for its failure in all fronts. The time is ripe to remove the government as it has completed 100 sins.
However, Pawar, who had joined hands with Fadnavis to take oath on November 23, 2019 and later severed his links to return to NCP, shot back saying that BJP will continue to make such statements out of frustration. There is no threat to the MVA government.
Pawar also targeted the state BJP state chief Chandrakant Patil who has been issuing fresh deadlines for fall of the MVA government. “Patil was elected in the Modi wave. He has neither developed, built any institution nor has he run it. BJP cannot bring transformation in rural areas. However, the MVA government is committed to expediting the development process. The by-election was taking place only because of BJP’s rigid view. Otherwise, NCP nominee Bhagirath Bhalke could have been elected unopposed,” he said.
Patil on his part said Pawar knows when the government will fall. “There is a need to bring out a white paper on how many sugar factories either directly or indirectly are owned or promoted by the Pawar family. Ajit Pawar became DCM when Fadnavis took oath on November 23, 2019 and later with Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. He may be DCM even in the Communist rule,” he added.
