'Not a googly but robbery,' says NCP chief Sharad Pawar as nephew Ajit Pawar joins NDA govt in Maharashtra

Hours after Ajit Pawar along with some other Nationalist Congress Party leaders joined the Maharashtra government, party chief Sharad Pawar said, “this is not ‘googly’, it is a robbery” and that he was worried about the future of those who left the party. Talking to reporters after his nephew and eight other party leaders rebelled and joined the Shiv Sena-BJP government in Maharashtra, Pawar said he was not worried about what happened and will work to strengthen the party again. He also hinted at action against party leaders Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare, saying they did not follow their responsibilities. Sharad Pawar said some of those who joined the Shiv Sena-BJP government were facing ED cases.

#WATCH | This is not 'googly', it is a robbery. It is not a small thing, says NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Ajit Pawar joining the NDA government in Maharashtra pic.twitter.com/uH4xqejsKs

— ANI (@ANI) July 2, 2023

In a major political upheaval, Ajit Pawar took oath as deputy chief minister on Sunday. Eight other NCP leaders took oath as ministers. “Some of my colleagues have taken a different stand. I had called a meeting of all the leaders on July 6, where some important issue was to be discussed and some changes were to be made within the party but before that meeting, some of the leaders have taken a different stand,” Pawar said Sharad Pawar said that in the next two-three days, they will sit with Congress and Uddhav Thackeray to access the situation. “Our main strength is the common people, they have elected us”. In an apparent reference to to Ajit Pawar who faced accusations related to the alleged irrigation scam, Pawar took a dig at BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying, “it is clear that all the charges have been cleared”. “Two days ago the PM had said about NCP… He had said two things in his statement that NCP is a finished party. He mentioned irrigation complaint and allegations of corruption. I am happy that some of my colleagues have taken oath. From this (joining the NDA government) it is clear that all the charges have been cleared. I am thankful to him,” Pawar said. Sharad Pawar said he had dealt with splits earlier and rejuvenated the party. “This is not a new thing. The party I was leading in 1980 had 58 MLAs, later all left and only 6 MLAs left, but I strengthened the numbers and those who left me lost in their constituencies,” he said. Received calls from Kharge, Mamata Banerjee: Sharad Pawar The former Maharashtra chief minister said he has been receiving calls from other Opposition leaders over developments in Maharashtra. “I am receiving several calls from a lot of people, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, WB CM Mamata Banerjee and others have called me. I am not worried about whatever happened today. Tomorrow, I will take the blessings of YB Chavan.” He said senior leaders will sit to decide about any action against the rebel leaders. Also read: 'Double engine govt now triple engine,' says Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde as Ajit Pawar becomes Dy CM “We will work to strengthen the party again. MLAs and all senior leaders will sit together to decide about any action against the rebel leaders. Being the president, I had appointed Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare but they did not follow their responsibilities. Therefore, I have to take some action against them,” he said. “I will never say that my home has split, this issue is not regarding my home, this is the issue of people. I am worried about the future of those who left. I want to give the credit for this to PM Modi. Two days ago, he had made statements and after that statement, some people started feeling uneasy, some of them were also facing ED actions,” he added. On Monday, the NCP supremo will address a public gathering in former Maharashtra Chief Minister YB Chavan’s hometown Karad. Ajit Pawar said earlier they have the numbers. “We have all the numbers, all MLAs are with me. We are here as a party. We have informed all seniors also. The majority is given importance in a democracy. Our party is 24 years old and young leadership should come forward,” Ajit Pawar said after taking oath as Deputy Chief Minister. With inputs from ANI Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.