'BJP Shouldn't Have Allied With Tainted-Pawar' Says Trenchant Critic Of Devendra Fadnavis

The senior BJP leader, who is in political wilderness for last four years, said his party and the Shiv Sena should have amicably resolved the issues between them, post the verdict of the October assembly elections.

Eknath Khadse (Twitter account)

Mumbai (Maharashtra): Senior BJP leader Eknath Khadse on Wednesday said that BJP should not have taken the support from NCP's Ajit Pawar. Speaking to media, Khadse said, "My personal opinion is that BJP should not have taken the support of Ajit Dada Pawar. He is an accused in the massive irrigation scam and faces many allegations, so we should not have allied with him." "One should have not taken his support," he added. Yesterday, Fadnavis resigned in the afternoon as Maharashtra Chief Minister merely three days after he took oath in a controversial turn of events. Later in the evening, the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress combine met Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari and staked claim to form the government in Maharashtra, following which the Governor announced that Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray will take oath as the Chief Minister of the state on November 28. Khadse on Tuesday dubbed Ajit Pawar's resignation as deputy chief minister of Maharashtra a "face saving act". "Ajit Pawar stepping down as deputy chief minister is a face saving act. It would have been more humiliating for Ajit Pawar had he waited for tomorrow's floor test in the Maharashtra Assembly. It was expected that he (Ajit Pawar) would quit today," Khadse told reporters.

महाराष्ट्राचे माजी उपमुख्यमंत्री @AjitPawarSpeaks आज आपला वाढदिवस. त्यानिमित्त आपले हार्दिक अभीष्टचिंतन! pic.twitter.com/yqd9QMulZ8

— Eknath Khadse (@EknathKhadseBJP) July 22, 2019

The senior BJP leader, who is in political wilderness for last four years, said his party and the Shiv Sena should have amicably resolved the issues between them, post the verdict of the October assembly elections. "Had they found some solution, it would have been better for Maharashtra," Khadse said apparently referring to the Sena and BJP parting ways over the former's demand for the chief minister's post. A known detractor of Fadnavis, Khadse said he was not aware whether the promise of sharing the CM's post for equal term was made to the Sena by the BJP. "I feel finding a solution (for the stand-off between the BJP and the Sena) was not an impossible thing," he said. Ajit Pawar had supported BJP as leader of the 54-member NCP legislature party and with his resignation earlier in the day, the government has lost majority.