Sharad Pawar should introspect, look after his family and party instead of criticising BJP: Bawankule

Nagpur: BJP's Maharashtra unit chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Thursday said NCP founder Sharad Pawar should introspect about the recent developments in his party and look after his family as well as the outfit instead of criticising the BJP.

It is Sharad Pawar himself and not the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that is responsible for the split in the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), he said, quoting the former's nephew Ajit Pawar as saying.

Raising a banner of revolt against the NCP founder and his uncle, Ajit Pawar on Sunday took oath as the Deputy Chief Minister, while eight MLAs of the party were inducted as ministers in the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena-BJP government in the state.

Replying to a query on Sharad Pawar's criticism of the BJP, Bawankule said, "What is your condition today...Your party is not with you, the party workers are deserting you, your relationship with the Centre as well as the Maharashtra government is not good." "Your condition is so bad that your family is going away from you. What worse can one see?" he added.

Hence, instead of levelling allegations against the BJP, Pawar saheb should do some introspection, look after his own family and the party, and better not comment against the BJP, he said.

Bawankule hailed the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and termed them as the biggest leaders in the country.

"PM Modi is the biggest leader in the world and Amit Shah has made a place for himself in the country through his work. But despite being in politics for 40 to 50 years, Sharad Pawar could not make a place for himself, while our leaders could do so," Bawankule said.

To a query on the claim that Ajit Pawar's NCP wants to fight the next year's state Assembly elections on 70 seats, Bawankule said, "The seat-sharing talks do not come under my jurisdiction. Normally, a decision on seat-sharing is not taken until the election dates are announced..." When asked about reports that the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena faction was unhappy with the inclusion of NCP in the government with the CM skipping President Droupadi Murmu's events in Gadchiroli and Nagpur in the last two days, he said Shinde had a pre-scheduled party meeting and had to leave due to it.

"CM Shinde came to Nagpur to welcome president Murmu, after which he left. There is no discord or differences between us...Under the leadership of Shinde, Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar, the number of winning seats will rise by 10 to 20 percent in next Assembly polls," he added.

Shinde is capable of keeping his MLAs together and does not need the BJP to do it, he said.

On Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray's proposed visit to the Vidarbha region, the state BJP chief said people will support those who have carried out development.

"But Uddhav Thackeray did not carry out any development when he was the chief minister. Besides, he committed the biggest mistake of his life by backstabbing the BJP and he is facing its consequences," he alleged.

When asked about independent MLA Bacchu Kadu not being happy with the BJP leadership over not getting a ministerial berth, Bawankule said he was not angry but might be feeling bad as he was a minister earlier.

"Bacchu Kadu has a huge place in the BJP alliance government and he will definitely be given some good responsibility by CM Shinde and Fadnavis," he said.