PUNE: NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Thursday admitted that his party held meetings with BJP after the 2019 assembly polls to form a government in a “deliberate attempt to expose it”.
“We wanted to show that BJP leaders and then chief minister Devendra Fadnavis could go to any extent to grab power. It was a googly to deceive Fadnavis,” he said.
“We were getting the wicket (of Devendra Fadnavis), so we had to take it,” Pawar said, a day after Fadnavis claimed that the NCP chief knew about the formation of a BJP-NCP government in 2019.
In response to Pawar’s comment, Fadnavis said he was “very happy” that Pawar had accepted what he had revealed the previous day in an interview. “My googly has forced Pawar to speak the truth,” he said.
BJP desperate for power, will do anything: Pawar
Referring to Fadnavis’ statement, Pawar said, “I had changed my stand (to support BJP for the government formation) before the actual oath-taking ceremony in 2019. Even then, they (BJP leaders and then CM Fadnavis) went ahead to form the government, that too, secretly. The government collapsed within a couple of days. It exposed its (BJP’s) desperation to do anything for power,” Pawar said.
Fadnavis on Wednesday claimed that a deal was struck to give the post of deputy chief minister to NCP leader Ajit Pawar.
He claimed that Pawar had “played a double game” in 2019 by first consenting to a BJPNCP government and then backing off.
About his open offer to provide outside support to BJP in 2014, Pawar said, “I had made my stand clear (in 2014) in public that we will join hands with BJP. But we had an agenda then. It was to create a rift between BJP and their alliance partner.”
Commenting on the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), Pawar said the Centre should ensure reservation for women in state assemblies and Lok Sabha before talking about UCC. He said, “A few communities disagree with the government’s view on the code. Citizens are upset due to several issues, but the government is pushing UCC to divert attention from all the problems.”
He also said PM Modi was making personal attacks on opposition leaders, including him, “as he (Modi) had become restless after the opposition parties’ meet in Patna”. “BJP is not in power in many states. The party leadership is clueless about the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls or state elections. So, the PM is making comments that do not suit his stature, especially after the meeting of opposition leaders in Patna,” he said.
Pawar also spoke about the attacks on women. “The attacks are worrisome. This problem should be addressed on priority,” he said, adding that Fadnavis, now the home minister of Maharashtra, should focus on the law and order situation in the state.
Fadnavis on Thursday said he was “very happy” that Pawar had accepted what he had revealed the previous day in an interview.
“My googly has forced Pawar to speak the truth, but it is only the half-truth. I shall bring out the rest of the truth with another googly. The only thing is instead of me getting bowled, his nephew (Ajit Pawar) got bowled. He bowled his own nephew,” Fadnavis said.
“We wanted to show that BJP leaders and then chief minister Devendra Fadnavis could go to any extent to grab power. It was a googly to deceive Fadnavis,” he said.
“We were getting the wicket (of Devendra Fadnavis), so we had to take it,” Pawar said, a day after Fadnavis claimed that the NCP chief knew about the formation of a BJP-NCP government in 2019.
In response to Pawar’s comment, Fadnavis said he was “very happy” that Pawar had accepted what he had revealed the previous day in an interview. “My googly has forced Pawar to speak the truth,” he said.
BJP desperate for power, will do anything: Pawar
Referring to Fadnavis’ statement, Pawar said, “I had changed my stand (to support BJP for the government formation) before the actual oath-taking ceremony in 2019. Even then, they (BJP leaders and then CM Fadnavis) went ahead to form the government, that too, secretly. The government collapsed within a couple of days. It exposed its (BJP’s) desperation to do anything for power,” Pawar said.
Fadnavis on Wednesday claimed that a deal was struck to give the post of deputy chief minister to NCP leader Ajit Pawar.
He claimed that Pawar had “played a double game” in 2019 by first consenting to a BJPNCP government and then backing off.
About his open offer to provide outside support to BJP in 2014, Pawar said, “I had made my stand clear (in 2014) in public that we will join hands with BJP. But we had an agenda then. It was to create a rift between BJP and their alliance partner.”
Commenting on the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), Pawar said the Centre should ensure reservation for women in state assemblies and Lok Sabha before talking about UCC. He said, “A few communities disagree with the government’s view on the code. Citizens are upset due to several issues, but the government is pushing UCC to divert attention from all the problems.”
He also said PM Modi was making personal attacks on opposition leaders, including him, “as he (Modi) had become restless after the opposition parties’ meet in Patna”. “BJP is not in power in many states. The party leadership is clueless about the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls or state elections. So, the PM is making comments that do not suit his stature, especially after the meeting of opposition leaders in Patna,” he said.
Pawar also spoke about the attacks on women. “The attacks are worrisome. This problem should be addressed on priority,” he said, adding that Fadnavis, now the home minister of Maharashtra, should focus on the law and order situation in the state.
Fadnavis on Thursday said he was “very happy” that Pawar had accepted what he had revealed the previous day in an interview.
“My googly has forced Pawar to speak the truth, but it is only the half-truth. I shall bring out the rest of the truth with another googly. The only thing is instead of me getting bowled, his nephew (Ajit Pawar) got bowled. He bowled his own nephew,” Fadnavis said.
