New Delhi: Maharashtra’s new Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Tuesday praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said there is “no other leader” like him. After inaugurating the new office of his Nationalist Congress Party faction in Mumbai, he said the country is “moving forward” under Modi’s leadership.
Ajit Pawar said, “There is no leader like Modi. They have no option. Nephew of NCP supremo Sharad PawarSaid.
“We have joined the (Eknath Shinde) government to support him,” he said.
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When asked if some members of the Shinde group were unhappy over his induction into the cabinet, he said, “We all have decided to work together. There is no question of dissent.”
Earlier on Sunday, Ajit Pawar and eight other legislators of the Nationalist Congress Party joined the Bharatiya Janata Party-Shiv Sena government in Maharashtra. Later, Sharad Pawar on Monday sacked the party’s working president Praful Patel. and general secretary and treasurer Sunil Tatkare – who had revolted with Ajit Pawar for his involvement in ‘anti-party’ activities.
Later, the NCP supremo issued notices to Patel and Tatkare, also Lok Sabha MPs, accusing them of facilitating and leading the defection of nine MLAs without their knowledge and consent.
In his letter, the senior Pawar wrote, “Your action of supporting Shri Ajit Pawar and eight other MLAs who have taken oath as ministers, in violation of the party’s directive and mandate, amounts to anti-party activities.”
“In view of your actions, I remove your name from the membership register of the party,” he said.
The former Union minister said the party is initiating appropriate action to formally disqualify Patel and Tatkare as MPs under the 10th Schedule of the Constitution.
The letter also states that “misrepresentation of affiliation with NCP henceforth by Patel and Tatkare would be illegal and illegal”.
However, the Ajit Pawar camp quickly hit back and removed Maharashtra NCP president Jayant Patil and made Tatkare the new state party chief. It also asked the Maharashtra Assembly Speaker to disqualify Jayant Patil and Jitendra Awhad from membership of the House.