Devendra Fadnavis' Big Claim: Sharad Pawar's 2022 Resignation Decision Came After Discussion with BJP

Mumbai: Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has come forward with a new revelation about NCP Chief Sharad Pawar. According to Fadnavis, Pawar was in talks with the BJP before he decided to resign as NCP head. He has claimed that the 2019 talks were also with Sharad Pawar. 

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"Sharad Pawar was going to come with us many times, we even had a discussion with Sharad Pawar in 2019. Not with anyone else. After that, everyone saw that Ajit Pawar was knocked down. Ajit Pawar used to be humiliated and Sharad Pawar would lead. We had discussions with him even at the time of his resignation as president." Fadnavis also said that Pawar has said that the entire party will come to the Grand Alliance under the leadership of Supriya Sule. 

"Who started the politics of sabotage in Maharashtra? Who broke the Shiv Sena? Who first broke the Shiv Sena in 1992 during Bal Thackeray's lifetime?  Who broke Gopinath Munde's house today? So if we do it, it is politics and if they do it, it is political diplomacy, if something happens and we benefit from it, then the political level goes down, and the house has been demolished, such statements just show double standards," Fadnavis said. Fadnavis was speaking in an interview with News18 Marathi. 

Meanwhile, "both Shiv Sena and NCP broke up due to nepotism, Amit Shah's statement is 100 percent true. Why did Ajitdada want to get out? Who betrayed Ajitdada in the party? Ajit Dada was constantly saying that he should go mainstream, Ajit Pawar was being criticized because he saw that the leadership was going to him. They wanted to get out of it. When these parties split, after all, we are a political party. So we took them along," Fadnavis said.

Raj Thackeray's unconditional support for bow and arrow

"Raj Thackeray supported Narendra Modi for the first time in 2014. It was Raj Thackeray who put forward Modi's name. In 2019, Raj Thackeray had given unconditional support to the Maha Vikas Aghadi. They were given at least one seat, they did not contest a single seat. So there is no reason to believe that Raj Thackeray has done anything different. We were in talks with Raj Thackeray. The seat they wanted was with the Shiv Sena. But the Shiv Sena insisted that the seat should be contested on its symbol. At that time, Raj Thackeray refused and said if I fight, I will fight on my symbol, if this does not happen, I will support Modi, we will see in the Assembly."