Ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly Elections in 2024, political tensions in the state are reaching a boiling point. While recently Ajit Pawar led NCP's move to hold a silent demonstration over the collapse of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue in Maharashtra's Sindhudurg cast suspicion over the shared internal equation among the political allies, another major controversy erupted in the state after the Eknath Shinde led Shiv Sena faction leader and state Health Minister Tanaji Sawant made disparaging remarks against NCP, one of the constituents of ruling Mahayuti government. Speaking at an event in Dharashiv, Osmanabad, Sawant commentd about his alliance with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), a member of the ruling Mahayuti coalition.
Sawant, who is also a Health Minister in the Maharashtra cabinet, stated that he has never felt comfortable working with the NCP leadership and claimed that being near them makes him feel nauseous. "I am a staunch Shiv Sainik... Any staunch Shiv Sainik can never sit with Nationalists and Congress. From the beginning until today, sitting together makes me feel like I am allergic... I cannot tolerate it from the beginning because both of us have completely different views... there is no doubt about it," Sawant said.
He continued, "Even today when I attend cabinet meetings, I feel like vomiting even after coming out of it. This is the reality because thoughts can never change suddenly in a day... it should not be like always being separate and then suddenly saying let’s work together... this cannot happen... this is the truth."
Significantly, this is not the first time Sawant has made controversial statements. Earlier, last year, in a purported viral video, Sawant was seen speaking to a senior police officer in the Dharashiv (Osmanabad) district that he does not even listen to the chief minister, so the officer will have to do as Sawant says. In a video, he was seen speaking to Dharashiv Superintendent of Police Atul Kulkarni and insisting on the transfer of a police inspector (PI) in the district.
Meanwhile, against his statement, NCP, too slammed Sawant. Speaking to the media, NCP spokesperson Amol Mitkari said, "If a normal MLA had spoken, we could have understood..but a minister speaks like this about nationalist leaders..then the CM should explain to his minister a little..that Tanaji Sawant should not commit the sin of poisoning the Mahayuti by giving such statements..otherwise..we have said this earlier also..this is the fifth person who has spoken like this about a nationalist leader..first Nitesh Rane, then Nilesh Rane, Sadabhau Khot and now Tanaji Sawant..if these people keep giving such useless statements..then we nationalists will also keep answering them..we are not the only ones who have taken the contract of following the coalition dharma of Mahayuti."
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