PUNE: NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Wednesday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of finishing off its regional allies gradually, and supported Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's decision to snap ties with the BJP.
Speaking to reporters in Baramati town of Maharashtra's Pune district, Pawar claimed the BJP was planning how to weaken the Shiv Sena and create a division in the party.
Pawar's party was a constituent of the previous Shiv Sena-led Maharashtra government, which collapsed in June this year following a revolt by Sena MLA Eknath Shinde and 39 other legislators.
Nitish Kumar had on Tuesday pulled the plug on his party JD(U)'s alliance with the BJP and resigned, and followed it up by staking claim to form a new government in Bihar with support of the opposition Grand Alliance.
Notably, BJP national president J P Nadda recently said in the times to come only an ideology-driven party like the BJP will survive, while others ruled by families will perish.
Pawar on Wednesday claimed that "the BJP national president in his address said regional parties do not have a future and they will not exist. He said it is only their party which will exist in the country."
"From this statement, one thing is clear, which was also the complaint of Nitish Kumar, that the BJP finishes off its allies gradually," the NCP president said.
Citing an example, Pawar said a party like the Akali Dal was with them (BJP).
"Its leader Prakash Singh Badal was with them, but today the party is nearly finished in Punjab," he said.
In Maharashtra, the Shiv Sena and BJP were together for several years, he pointed out.
"Today, the BJP is planning how the Shiv Sena can be weakened by creating a division in the party, and (present Maharashtra CM) Eknath Shinde and others helped," he added.
In doing this, the Shiv Sena was attacked by the party which was once its ally, he said.
A similar picture was being seen in Bihar.
Nitish Kumar, of the JD(U), and the BJP contested the last Assembly elections together, he said.
"One more speciality of the BJP is that it joins hands with a regional party at the time of elections, but ensures the ally wins fewer seats. It happened in Maharashtra also," Pawar claimed.
When a similar picture was being witnessed in Bihar, the CM of the state got cautious well in advance and took the decision to snap ties with the BJP, he said.
"No matter how much BJP leaders criticise Nitish Kumar, but he has taken a wise step. He took the decision anticipating the crisis the BJP was planning to bring on. I think he took a wise decision for his state and party," Pawar said.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday took a swipe at Sharad Pawar, saying that there was "something else" that was hurting more to the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president.
Fadnavis made the comment in the wake of Pawar's criticism of the BJP, in which he accused it of finishing off its regional allies gradually.
Pawar also said that the BJP was planning to weaken the Shiv Sena and create a division in the party.
"There is something else that hurts Pawar more. Everyone knows it," Fadnavis told reporters in Thane.
Pawar's party was a constituent of the previous Shiv Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in Maharashtra, which collapsed in June this year following a revolt by Sena MLA Eknath Shinde and 39 other legislators.
Fadnavis said, "In the last Bihar Assembly elections, the BJP had won more seats that the JD(U), but still Nitish Kumar was made chief minister. It is the BJP that takes care of its allies."
"If we are not in power in Bihar (now), we would be there tomorrow for sure," he added.
JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar on Wednesday took oath as Bihar chief minister for the eighth time, while RJD's Tejashwi Yadav was administered the oath of office as deputy chief minister.
The ceremony took place a day after Kumar snapped ties with the BJP-led NDA and joined hands with the RJD to form a 'Mahagathbandhan' government.
On the expansion of the Shinde-led cabinet in Maharashtra, Fadnavis said, "There has already been a lot of speculation about the cabinet expansion in media already. But the speculation is going to be completely false. Once the portfolios are allocated, you will realise it."
A day earlier, CM Shinde expanded his cabinet, 41 days after taking the oath of office.
A total of 18 MLAs, including nine each from the Shinde faction of Shiv Sena and the BJP, took oath as the cabinet ministers.