Mumbai, August 16: Under a cloud since the past few days, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) President Sharad Pawar on Wednesday reiterated his loyalty to the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), and also launched a scathing attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party. “There’s no question of joining the BJP… I am very much with the MVA and we are preparing for the upcoming national opposition alliance meeting in Mumbai,” Pawar told mediapersons in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, scotching all political speculation.

He also rubbished reports that the MVA allies Congress-Shiv Sena (UBT) have allegedly kept ‘Plan B’ or ‘Plan C’ ready to fight the upcoming Lok Sabha, Assembly or civic elections minus the NCP (SP). Congress’ Leader of Opposition Vijay Wadettiwar and ex-Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan have contended that the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi had laid a precondition for Ajit Pawar that he could be the CM only if he succeeds in bringing along his uncle to the saffron fold, and he would be rewarded with a Central Cabinet berth or the chairmanship of NITI Aayog.

“There is no such thing… This rumour is only in the media, the reality is different. When I met Ajit Pawar last week, he did not bring up any such proposal for me,” said Pawar, referring to Wadettiwar and Pawar’s charges on Pawar uncle-nephew’s ‘secret’ meeting recently. Training guns on the BJP and Modi, Sharad Pawar said that the saffron party is indulging in spreading hatred among the people and its decisions result in dispute or bitterness among various castes/religions in the society.

“On the day of the no-confidence motion, the PM spoke on Manipur for 2 minutes and on other issues for 2 hours… He did not think it was important or that he should go to Manipur and boost the peoples’ confidence there,” Pawar said. A former Union Defence Minister, Pawar cautioned that Manipur is near the China border and hence more attention is required, but everything happening there for the past over three months is dangerous for the country. Taking a dig, Pawar referred also to Modi’s I-Day speech where he declared that he would return to power in 2024.

“The current mood in the country is not conducive for the BJP' return… No matter how much he claims to ‘come back’, he will end up like Devendra Fadnavis,” said Pawar, in a swipe at Fadnavis’ often-repeated slogan of ‘Mee Punha Yaeen’ (I will return) during the 2019 election campaign. The NCP supremo also said that efforts are underway to undermine elected Opposition parties’ state governments as was seen in Goa, Madhya Pradesh or Maharashtra and elsewhere. He said the people will not tolerate all this anymore and they will teach the BJP a lesson.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 16, 2023 08:23 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).