Trying to play down differences between the ruling Shiv Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut gave a clean chit to deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, who has been blamed by Sena leaders for inducting party corporators into the NCP.
The NCP and Shiv Sena were at loggerheads over the transfer of 10 deputy commissioners of police (DCP), which were revoked after the minister Uddhav Thackeray’s intervention. The NCP had also walked out with a section of Shiv Sena corporators in Ahmednagar district, and these dissident corporators from Parner had joined the party in Ajit Pawar’s presence on Sunday.
On Monday, chief minister Uddhav Thackeray and NCP supremo and former union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar had met to discuss and resolve such differences.
“Sharad Pawar is a senior leader of this country. Even he can summon the chief minister for discussions considering his seniority. The chief minister always respects experience… Sharad Pawar meets the chief minister occasionally to discuss issues of importance before the state. There are no differences or contradictions within the government,” said Raut.
Raut, who is also the executive editor of Shiv Sena mouthpiece Saamna, said the DCP’s were transferred by the Commissioner as part of a routine administrative exercise, and there were no politics or contradictions involved.
“The issue at Parner is a minor one… It does not concern Ajit Pawar in that sense and is related to the local legislator or Shiv Sena taluka president. This cannot be called a defection, but henceforth, when it comes to admitting people from each other’s party henceforth, discussions must be held. Ajit Pawar was in the dark about these inductions,” added Raut.
