PUNE: Maharashtra BJP minister Nitesh Rane has claimed NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar had been in touch with the saffron party leaders, an assertion dismissed by the opposition legislator.
Rane also claimed that though Rohit Pawar is part of the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP), "his heart lies with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)".
Rohit Pawar, the grandnephew of Sharad Pawar and MLA from Karjat-Jamkhed in Ahilyanagar, dismissed Rane's claim, saying one should not speak when "he himself is stuck in the mud".
Speaking to reporters, Rane claimed, "(Pawar) was supposed to join the BJP in 2019. If we start revealing which BJP leaders he was in touch with, he won't have a place to hide his face. Although he is physically with NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar, his heart lies with the BJP."
In response, Rohit Pawar said he wanted to remind the media how Rane, who was earlier with the Congress, had reacted when the latter was asked about switching parties.
"The way he changes clothes, he changes parties. When that question was posed to him, everyone saw how furious he got. He himself has been stuck in the mud and should refrain from speaking about others," the NCP (SP) leader charged.
Rohit Pawar also said he has been with the same party since the beginning of his political career, and advised Rane to "look in the mirror".
The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) founded by Sharad Pawar split in 2023 after Ajit Pawar and several other MLAs walked away and joined the BJP-Shiv Sena government.
The faction led by Ajit Pawar was later renamed the NCP, while Sharad Pawar's outfit retained the new name - NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar).