'Sharad Pawar Initiated Political Rifts In Maharashtra In 1978': Raj Thackeray On NCP Crisis

Raj Thackeray referred to the instance of Sharad Pawar becoming CM after breaking away from the government of Vasantdada Patil and forming a coalition government with the Janata Party.

Raj Thackeray said that the rift in NCP was an insult to voters.

Source : PTI

President of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) Raj Thackeray on Tuesday again hinted that the recent political developments in Maharashtra may have the approval of Sharad Pawar, the supremo of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). During a press conference, Thackeray criticized the split in the NCP and Ajit Pawar's move to the Eknath Shinde-BJP government. He said it was an insult to the voters of Maharashtra. He pointed out that Sharad Pawar himself initiated such political manoeuvres in the state, dating back to 1978 when he experimented with the formation of the Purogami Lokshahi Dal (PuLoD) government.

Raj Thackeray was referring to the instance when Sharad Pawar broke away from the Maharashtra Congress (U) government of Vasantdada Patil and formed a coalition government with the Janata Party and the Peasants' and Workers' Party of India. This was his first stint as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra. His government lasted till 1980.

The Congress (U) broke away from the Indian National Congress after the 1977 elections. The Congress (U) faction was led by  D Devaraj Urs, the first Chief Minister of Karnataka. Pawar joined his mentor Yashwantrao Chavan in following Urs.

According to Thackeray, Maharashtra had never experienced such political upheavals until Pawar's involvement. He claimed that Pawar was both the instigator and the end of these occurrences. Thackeray further went on to suggest that Sharad Pawar could potentially be the driving force behind the recent developments. He asserted that NCP leaders like Praful Patel, Dilip Walse-Patil, and Chhagan Bhujbal would not align themselves with Ajit Pawar without the blessings and support of Sharad Pawar himself. 

Meanwhile, the two NCP camps — one led by party chief Sharad Pawar and the other by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar — approached the Election Commission of India as both camps apprised the poll panel of the latest developments.

For the latest developments on the Maharashtra political crisis, click here.