Sharad Pawar puts a full stop to speculation on reunion with Ajit Pawar's NCP
Also Read | Sharad Pawar downplays meetings with nephew Ajit, says nothing wrong in discussing people's issues
'We won't come together with those who joined hands with the BJP. We can only be with people who believe in the ideology of Gandhi, Shahu, Phule and Ambedkar,' said the former Chief Minister, addressing party workers in Pimpri-Chinchwad in Pune district.
His statement comes amid growing speculation of NCP-SP and his nephew Ajit Pawar's NCP reunion, ahead of the upcoming local polls in the State. Mr. Pawar and Ajit Pawar were seen sharing the stage on several occasions, fuelling the rumours.
Without taking the name of Mr. Ajit Pawar, he said, 'I don't want to encourage the politics of opportunism.' Those who partner with the BJP cannot have the thought process of the NCP, he said.
Mr. Ajit Pawar, along with a few leaders, had joined the BJP-led government in Maharashtra, causing a split in the NCP in July 2023. In the Lok Sabha election held in June 2024, the NCP-SP was ahead in the race but suffered a setback in the Assembly election held in November 2024.
Now, with the upcoming local polls, party functionaries and former corporators are shuffling between parties. Several former corporators — including Ajit Gavhane, an NCP-SP candidate who contested the Maharashtra Assembly election from Bhosari, Pune — are set to join the NCP.
Mr. Pawar told party workers 'not to worry'. 'Don't worry about who is leaving, focus on preparation and winning elections, we will take everyone who follows the thought process of Shahu-Ambedkar-Phule-Gandhi,' he said.
Giving an example of how a comeback can be made, Mr. Pawar said, 'I remember becoming the Chief Minister of Maharashtra in 1978, only to see our government dismissed in 1980. In the next election, our party won 70 seats. However, during my trip to England for ten days, all 70 MLAs, except six, defected from the party. I was surprised to see mass defection as our workers worked hard for these MLAs. Still, I did not lose hope, and I increased my contact with people,' he said.
He said the party's MLAs later won and the party became one of the important in the Maharashtra Assembly.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
25 minutes ago
- Time of India
No hesitation in wiping out terrorists, wherever they are: Rajnath Sigh
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday asserted that the Narendra Modi government will not hesitate to eliminate terrorists, wherever they are, and that no distinction will be made between masterminds and the regimes which sponsor them. The former BJP president's stern message to Pakistan , without mentioning the neighbouring country by name, came in his address to the party's state executive meeting in Bihar, where assembly elections are due this year. Singh said that under Modi, the country's policy on security has turned a new leaf with steps like surgical strikes and Balakot airstrikes . Referring to the military operation that followed the Pahalgam terror attack, he said, "Operation Sindoor marked the first time when we struck at terror hideouts 100 km beyond our borders. Of course, we hit only those who had hit us, a reason why no civilians nor any military installations were targeted". "Under Modi, our policy has been not to hesitate in eliminating terrorists wherever they are. And we shall do so without making a distinction between masterminds of terror attacks and regimes which sponsor them," said the defence minister. Live Events He added that the country's defence exports have seen a sharp rise, thanks to Modi's thrust on "swadeshikaran" (production at home) and " Aatma Nirbhar Bharat ". "The Modi government works with a long-term road-map, in marked contrast with Congress-led governments of the past, which lacked direction and were driven by vote bank concerns," said the Union minister. Singh also made an oblique reference to the controversy over RSS second in command Dattatreya Hosabale's remark that the words "secular" and "socialist" be dropped from the preamble of the Constitution, as those were inserted during the infamous Emergency. "I would like to ask fake secularists, after the word secular was added to the country's Constitution, why was it not added to the separate Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir? Should the state, where minority Hindus were being oppressed, not have been secular? Jammu and Kashmir became secular only after Article 370 was abrogated," he said. The BJP leader claimed that the party is the only political organisation in the entire world to have raised a voice against atrocities against minorities in neighbouring countries and taken a concrete step, in the form of CAA , upon coming to power. He said, "India has always believed in treating all faiths with respect. Parsis were accepted with open arms. We have one of the world's oldest churches in Kerala. Ours is the only land where all 72 sects of Islam are recognised." In contrast, even Ahmadiya Muslims are facing persecution in Pakistan, and one should not speak about minorities, Singh said. "The situation is horrifying in Bangladesh as well. The treatment meted out to Hindus there is a blot on humanity," said the defence minister.
Mint
38 minutes ago
- Mint
Netanyahu declares ‘no Hamas' in post-war Gaza as US pushes for 60-day ceasefire agreement
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday (July 2) pledged that Hamas would have no role in governing Gaza after the war, underscoring Israel's intention to dismantle the militant group's presence in the territory despite renewed US efforts to secure a truce. 'There will be no Hamas in Gaza,' Netanyahu said in a statement, reiterating Israel's longstanding position that Hamas must be removed entirely from power. His comments came a day after US President Donald Trump announced that Israel had agreed to terms for a 60-day ceasefire, urging Hamas to accept the proposal before conditions deteriorate further. It is hoped hopes the temporary truce would allow for the release of hostages, and expanded humanitarian aid. Trump has been pressuring both sides to move forward on a deal aimed at ending nearly 21 months of conflict that has devastated Gaza and displaced much of its population. On Wednesday, Netanyahu issued a short statement confirming it had received the ceasefire proposal from mediators and was holding talks aimed at 'bridging gaps' to return to the negotiating table. 'We are in discussions with the mediators to examine the proposal and try to reach an agreement,' the statement said. Despite these diplomatic efforts, Israel's insistence on the total removal of Hamas remains a major obstacle. Hamas, for its part, has demanded that any ceasefire must include a permanent end to military operations and a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza—conditions Israel has repeatedly rejected. Ahead of his upcoming meeting with Netanyahu at the White House, US President Donald Trump suggested that a ceasefire agreement for Gaza could be reached as early as next week. Speaking on Tuesday (July 1), Trump said Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu was eager to end the conflict with Gaza and added that he plans to be 'very firm' in pushing for an end to the war. Trump reportedly confirmed he would address Iran-related issues when the two leaders meet. The question of hostages remains a major obstacle. Israeli authorities say Hamas is holding 50 captives, 49 of whom were abducted during the October 7, 2023 attack. Another hostage has been held since 2014. Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs reports that 27 of the hostages are believed to have died during or after the October attack, including two American citizens, Itay Chen and Omer Neutra. The Israel-Hamas conflict began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking roughly 250 hostages. The war has since killed tens of thousands in Gaza, according to Palestinian health officials, and sparked a severe humanitarian crisis. It remains unclear whether the latest US-backed proposal will be enough to bring both sides to an agreement and halt the fighting.
Indian Express
41 minutes ago
- Indian Express
‘What will owners of 40 lakh two-wheelers do?': AAP's Atishi flays Delhi fuel ban on end-of-life vehicles, alleges BJP nexus with vehicle makers
Written by Drishti Jain The Delhi government's fuel ban on end-of-life vehicles (ELVs)—diesel vehicles older than 10 years and petrol vehicles older than 15 years—has drawn criticism from the AAP, with MLA Atishi calling it 'illogical' and alleging a nexus between the ruling BJP and vehicle makers. According to Atishi, 60 lakh vehicles—40 lakh two-wheelers and 20 lakh large vehicles—will be removed from the national capital's roads because of the fuel ban. 'The common people of Delhi use two-wheelers to go to work. What will the owners of 40 lakh two-wheelers do? How will they go to work?' the former chief minister said. Calling the fuel ban 'archaic and baseless', Atishi said the BJP was causing trouble to the residents of the capital, 'There are many senior citizens in the city who use secondhand vehicles just to get groceries from the market and come back. What will they do now?' Atishi questioned the rationale behind the fuel ban. 'There is no proven relation between the age of the vehicle and the levels of pollution caused. If vehicles are maintained properly, they won't cause pollution,' she said. Alleging a nexus between the BJP and big vehicle manufacturers, Atishi said, 'Today I challenge the BJP to inform the people about the amount of donation they received from these companies.' On the first day of the fuel ban, 350 teams, including from Delhi Police, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, and the transport department, were stationed 24×7 across the 498 petrol pumps in the capital on Tuesday. While 80 vehicles were seized, 98 people whose vehicles could not be impounded were issued notices on Tuesday, an officer from the Delhi transport department stated. Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras have been installed to scan number plates of vehicles and instantly cross-check their details against data registered in the Union government's VAHAN portal. If the vehicle is flagged as an ELV or lacks a valid pollution under control certificate, an audio alert is sent to the petrol pump operator.
