Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Sunday targeted the Opposition parties saying their attempts to seek vote against Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been jeopardised as Nationalist Congress Party leader Ajit Pawar took oath as his deputy on Sunday. “This is not a new govt, Shiv Sena and BJP govt were functioning under PM Modi's leadership. Development work was going on and Ajit Pawar who believed in the development work, supported and joined the govt,” he said.
In what came as a Sunday shocker, Ajit Pawar along with eight other NCP leaders were inducted in the Shinde government with Pawar taking oath as Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister. His loyalists including Chhagan Bhujbal, Hasan Mushrif, and others also joined the Shinde cabinet as ministers.
“I welcome him and his MLAs wholeheartedly,” Shinde said after the oath taking ceremony, who claimed that Pawar was being sidelined in the NCP.
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“He has a lot of MPs and MLAs which will definitely help in the development of Maharashtra. This double-engine govt now will run at the speed of a bullet train,” he added.
“MVA govt is broken... Some people were talking about googly and clean bowled, but everyone saw today who was clean bowled...it's a hit wicket,” he added.
Hours after taking oath as the Maharashtra Deputy CM, Ajit Pawar on Sunday praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, saying "Country is moving ahead under PM Modi. He is quite popular and receives support even abroad."
Addressing a press conference, Pawar said that more ministers will be inducted in the next expansion. "We took a decision to come with the Shinde-Fadanvis govt with almost all MLAs of NCP. We took oath and a few other ministers will be added in the next expansion."
"All the MLAs, MPs, and workers of the party (NCP) are with us that's why I took oath as Deputy CM," he added.