MUMBAI: Months after the Sena versus Sena political and legal slugfest in Maharashtra, another one is brewing, this time between blood relatives in the NCP first family. With the Ajit Pawar faction bolting to join the state government, NCP state president Jayant Patil announced the sacking of the party’s chief whip Anil Patil, who was sworn as a minister along with Ajit on Sunday.
In his place, Jitendra Awhad was named the new chief whip and leader of the Opposition. Later, Awhad delivered the party’s disqualification petition against all nine NCP MLAs who joined the government, to Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar.
In a tit-for-tat, NCP’s working president till Sunday morning Praful Patel sacked Jayant Patil as state president and appointed party general secretary and Lok Sabha MP Sunil Tatkare as the Maharashtra head. Patel is a pillar of the Ajit camp. Besides, Ajit questioned the appointment of Awhad as the leader of the Opposition, saying it was the Speaker’s prerogative.
A day later, Pawar senior, too, took retaliatory action by issuing disqualification notices to Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare under the 10th Schedule of the Constitution. He wrote to them calling out their anti-party activity. “Because of their anti-party activities, Patel and Tatkare are deemed to have voluntarily left the membership of the NCP... Besides, the nine MLAs joining the government amounts to desertion of the party. So, they are liable to be disqualified from the party’s primary membership and as legislators under the 10th Schedule,” the letter stated.
Interestingly, both Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar refrained from attacking each other. Sharad Pawar said he will not blame Ajit, as he has a different opinion but is not distanced from him. For his part, Ajit said Sharad Pawar is the president of his party and asked party workers to use the senior Pawar’s photograph prominently on posters and banners.
Buzz on Praful, Fadnavis joining Union cabinet
There are indications that NCP’s Rajya Sabha MP Praful Patel, who orchestrated the entire operation of Ajit Pawar and his group joining the government, the party’s Lok Sabha MP Sunil Tatkare and BJP deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis could be inducted into the Union cabinet in the forthcoming reshuffle at the Centre. “The BJP has decided to drop non-performing ministers in the Centre and state and accommodate new faces, including from the NCP faction. It will help them to project the image of an inclusive party,” an NCP leader claimed