Shelar's remark on 3-party coalition draws flak

Ajit Pawar lashes out at the BJP MLA's remarks of BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP almost finalising an alliance in 2017

Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Thursday lashed out at BJP legislator Ashish Shelar for his statement that a three-party coalition government of the BJP, the Shiv Sena and the NCP was almost planned in 2017 but could not become reality after NCP’s objection to Shiv Sena’s presence in the tie up.

“Shelar should have revealed it in 2017. Why did he stop for five years?" asked a visibly annoyed Pawar while speaking to reporters after his weekly Janata Darbar at the party office.

“In 2017 several leaders were not part of the alliance. The statements made by those leaders were quite different (from what Shelar is now saying). No one is interested in what happened in 2017, 2012 or 2010. Let us see what is happening today, what are the important issues and what are the problems,’’ remarked Pawar.

After Shiv Sena parted ways with its over 25-year-old ally BJP, it formed the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government joining hands with the NCP and the Congress in November 2019.

After Pawar’s statement, state Congress general secretary Sachin Sawant took to twitter and released an earlier tweet by former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, who way back in September 2014 had said that the BJP will never forge any alliance with NCP as the former had exposed the latter in the state assembly when others were silent.

“By making such a statement (coalition of BJP, NCP and Shiv Sena), Shelar is contradicting Fadnavis and giving a message to the people not to believe what Fadnavis had said. BJP should take immediate action against Shelar otherwise it will prove that the state BJP president Chandrakant Patil has the same opinion,’’ said Sawant.

Meanwhile, former finance minister Sudhir Mungantiwar claimed, “It was our (BJP) mistake not to forge an alliance with the NCP excluding Shiv Sena. We are suffering for it.’’