PM is likely to visit the city on March 6 to inaugurate the Pune Metro
@the_news_21
Mumbai: Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s likely visit to Pune city next month, Deputy Chief Minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Ajit Pawar praised the PM’s “development agenda”. Raising a few eyebrows, he further remarked that the people gave opportunities to those who spoke about development. He said this while speaking to newspersons here on Saturday.
The senior NCP leaders’ remarks come at a time when the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance of the Shiv Sena, NCP and the Congress have been accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of misusing central agencies, alluding to the recent arrest of NCP Minister Nawab Malik by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
The Prime Minister is expected to visit Pune on March 6 for the inauguration of Metro rail service, but there has been no official intimation of his program as yet.
When questioned about BJP leader Dr Kirit Somaiya publishing a list of ‘tainted’ MVA ministers (which includes Ajit Pawar) and vowing to send them to jail, Ajit Pawar shot back, “What am I supposed to do? Voluntarily go to jail? I will not waste time commenting on all this. I am only concerned with the State’s development.”
The Deputy Chief minister said the public was least interested in these controversies and cared for development rather than allegations and counter-allegations. He further remarked, “People give an opportunity to those who talk of development… Prime Minister Modi also won hearts through his development agenda when he came to power.”
Ajit Pawar, who is NCP chief Sharad Pawar’s nephew, had stunned everybody in Maharashtra with his intra-party ‘rebellion’ soon after the October 2019 State Assembly election. The senior NCP leader had staged an early ‘morning coup’ in November 2019 and was sworn in as Deputy Chief Minister along with BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis taking oath as Chief Minister.
However, Ajit Pawar’s rendezvous with the BJP lasted only for three days after Sharad Pawar’s writ prevailed, averting a split in the NCP, with Pawar junior returning back to the party fold.
Ajit Pawar resigned as Deputy Chief Minister in the short-lived BJP-NCP government of less than 80 hours in November 2019. He was again sworn-in again as the State’s Deputy Chief Minister after the MVA comprising the Shiv Sena, NCP and the Congress was formed in order to stop the BJP securing power in the State.
The Deputy Chief Minister, disclosed that he would be present during the PM’s anticipated visit in his capacity as Pune district’s Guardian Minister. However, Pawar junior expressed apprehension about Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray’s presence at the official function on account of the latter’s health.
Pune district leaders of the three MVA parties, however, have said that the NCP, Congress and the Sena workers would protest against the PM if he visited the city on March 6 with regards to Prime Minister Narenda Modi’s statement in Parliament blaming the Maharashtra government for the spread of Covid-19.
