Union Minister Ramdas Athawale Opposes Inclusion of Raj Thackeray-Led MNS in NDA Fold

Union Minister and RPI (A) President Ramdas Athawale expressed his opinion, stating that the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) led by Raj Thackeray should not be inducted into the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) fold.

Addressing reporters in Latur, the Dalit leader suggested that Raj Thackeray's party would be better off contesting elections independently rather than aligning with the BJP-led coalition. Speculation is rife about the potential collaboration between the MNS and Mahayuti, consisting of Shiv Sena, BJP, and NCP, for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Mumbai BJP chief Ashish Shelar recently met the MNS president at his residence in Mumbai. There is no need to induct MNS in the NDA fold. I am with NDA and the MNS should not be taken on board, said the Minister of State for Social Justice.

He mentioned that the RPI (A), under his leadership, will assert its claim on the Solapur and Shirdi constituencies in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, and will seek representation in at least 8 to 10 seats for the assembly elections. Athawale emphasized that leaders of Mahayuti should involve the RPI in discussions while finalizing seat allocations for the Lok Sabha polls.

Athawale also shared his political journey, revealing that he entered politics under the guidance of veteran politician Sharad Pawar. He acknowledged Pawar's role in inducting him into the cabinet. Athawale noted that he was initially aligned with Pawar but later joined a different alliance. Expressing his opinion, Athawale suggested that Pawar should have made the decision to collaborate with the BJP.

Athawale remarked that both Sharad Pawar and Uddhav Thackeray experienced setbacks as they lost control over the symbols of their parties to Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar. Additionally, Athawale offered advice to Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange, urging him to be cautious with his language and requesting him to cease protests, citing the recent allocation of a 10% quota to Marathas by the state legislature.

Furthermore, Athawale asserted that certain individuals are misleading the Dalit community by accusing the BJP of attempting to amend the Constitution.