Maharashtra politics: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday (July 13) described BJP’s alliance with Shiv Sena as ‘emotional’ and that with Nationalist Congress Party as ‘political’ one.
He said that the BJP can welcome whoever is willing to join it but the "Congress-like thinking" was unacceptable.
“Our tie-up with the Shiv Sena led by chief minister Eknath Shinde is an emotional alliance. The BJP and Sena have been together for more than 25 years. Our alliance with the Ajit Pawar-led NCP is a political alliance,” Fadnavis said while speaking at the `MahaVijay 2024' workshop of party workers organised at Bhiwandi as part of preparations for the next year's Lok Sabha elections.
The Deputy Chief Minister asserted that the BJP “may develop” an emotional alliance with the NCP as well in the next 10-15 years.
The Eknath Shinde group of Shiv Sena joined hands with the BJP last year and formed a new government in Maharashtra, toppling the Uddhav Thackeray-led MVA administration. NCP suffered a split after Ajit Pawar joined the state government on July 2.
Fadnavis said that the BJP was accused of playing a part in the breaking up of Shiv Sena and NCP, however, it was Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena that “backstabbed” the BJP in 2019 to become the chief minister with Congress’ support.
"No room for Congress"
The Deputy Chief Minister said that those who want to join the BJP will be welcomed except for “Congress-like thinking” and Asaduddin Owaisi-led AIMIM.
“We will welcome whoever wants to join the party, but there is no room for Congress-like thinking. Those who believe in appeasement will not be acceptable. AIMIM or Muslim League will have no place in the NDA,” he said.
Earlier on Thursday, Ajit Pawar met Fadnavis amid speculation about the allocation of portfolios to NCP MLAs. Both of them had a meeting with Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
Pawar and fellow NCP leader Sunil Tatkare subsequently visited Fadnavis at his official residence `Sagar', said a BJP source, adding that the meeting lasted for nearly half an hour.
As per BJP sources, Ajit Pawar met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi on Wednesday.
It was Pawar's first meeting with Shah after joining the Shiv Sena-BJP government in the state on July 2.
(With PTI inputs)
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