Pawar takes a swipe at Fadnavis, says call on Oppn leader soon
PUNE: Former Maharashtra chief minister and senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis did not appear to be happy while accepting the deputy chief minister’s post in Eknath Shinde-led government, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar said hours after the new government was sworn in on Thursday.
Rebel Shiv Sena leader Shinde was sworn in as the CM of Maharashtra after the Maha Vikas Aghadi government — comprising Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress — collapsed. Fadnavis, who had said he would remain outside, took oath as Shinde’s deputy.
“I think Fadnavis has not accepted the number two position happily,” Pawar told reporters in Pune. “His facial expression said it all.”
“He has worked as a RSS swayamsevak and there, when an order comes, it has to be followed. He must have followed the orders from the top,” Pawar said.
On Shinde’s rebellion, Pawar said had the BJP accepted Shiv Sena’s proposal after the 2019 polls, there would have no need for a new experiment in Maharashtra.
“Had this decision to support Shinde was taken two-and-a-half years ago, this entire episode would not have happened,” he said.
On whether his party will stake claim for the leader of opposition post in the state assembly, Pawar said: “We have not discussed this issue so far. We will discuss it tomorrow (Friday).”
On the new chief minister, the NCP chief said none of the rebel legislators who had gone to Guwahati would have seen it coming and that at best they would have expected deputy CM post for Shinde.
“Nobody had any inkling about it... I think Shinde himself had no idea,” Pawar said, adding that he spoke to Shinde and congratulated him.