Sena minister’s ‘nausea’ jibe: Time for BJP to throw NCP out of Mahayuti, says rival NCP (SP)

Mumbai: The NCP (SP) on Friday latched onto Shiv Sena minister Tanaji Sawant’s remark that “he feels like vomiting after sitting next to NCP ministers”, saying it’s time for the BJP to throw Ajit Pawar's party out of Mahayuti.

It's also the time for Ajit Pawar to "wake up and smell the coffee", said the rival party led by his uncle Sharad Pawar.

The BJP, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and NCP are the partners in the ruling coalition Mahayuti.

NCP (SP) spokesperson Clyde Crasto said Sawant’s remark shows that Mahayuti does not need the NCP any longer. The RSS’ mouthpiece had questioned the BJP why they aligned with Ajit Pawar. The BJP cadre is also posing the same question, he said.

Now, Shinde Sena leaders are saying derogatory things like “feeling nauseating when they sit next to NCP leaders”, Crasto said.

“The time has come when the BJP will, slowly but steadily, throw Ajit Pawar out of Mahayuti. All is not well and cracks are getting bigger by the day.

"It is time for Ajit Pawar to wake up and smell the coffee,” Crasto said.

Speaking at an event on Thursday, Sawant, who is Maharashtra's health minister, said he is a hardcore Shiv Sainik and never got along with Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leaders.

“Even if we sit next to each other in the cabinet, I feel like vomiting after coming out," Sawant said.

Mahesh Tapase, another NCP (SP) spokesperson, claimed that Ajit Pawar has lost his self-respect and there is growing discontent within the ranks of the Shinde-led Sena over the alliance with NCP.

“I never imagined that Ajit Dada, who once commanded immense respect within the NCP, would compromise his self-respect for power,” Tapase said.

The growing discomfort among Shinde Sena members over Ajit Pawar’s inclusion in the government has now been starkly revealed through Sawant's remarks, Tapase said.

“Minister Tanaji Sawant's statement has effectively erased Ajit Dada's political standing, and yet, his own party members remain silent,” Tapase said.

Given the current state of affairs, the NCP might not even secure 25 seats in the upcoming assembly polls in Maharashtra, and it is this desperation that has led to such humiliating treatment, Tapase further claimed.

The Sharad Pawar-founded NCP split in July 2023 when Ajit Pawar and MLAs loyal to him broke away to join the Mahayuti. Subsequently, the Ajit Pawar faction got the party name and its clock symbol. Since the split, both factions have been targeting each other.