BJP Is Obsessed With My Father And Brother, Says NCP Leader Supriya Sule

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) working president Supriya Sule on Friday said the BJP was obsessed with her father Sharad Pawar and cousin Ajit Pawar. Her comments come in the backdrop of a war of words between the two parties over the formation of a short-lived government in Maharashtra in 2019.

Hitting out at the BJP, which is part of the ruling coalition in Maharashtra, the Lok Sabha MP from Baramati said the saffron party has no vision either for the country or the state.

Talking to reporters here after meeting party workers who came to wish her on her birthday, Ms Sule said, "I am flattered that the Centre's and state politics revolved around my father and brother (NCP leader Ajit Pawar). The BJP is so obsessed with them that they have no time to chart out a vision for the country's and the state's development. How will they reduce inflation and create jobs?" 

Replying to questions on the ongoing war of words between Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and the NCP over the short-lived BJP-Ajit Pawar government in November 2019, Ms Sule said Mr Fadnavis has no time to take measures to reduce inflation or ensure women's security.

The Deputy Chief Minister holds finance and home portfolios.

"He (Mr Fadnavis) just wants to speak on issues which are not relevant in the present context. He only wants to go back in time and speak about the early morning swearing-in and gossip. This is unfortunate. A chewing gum tastes nice in the start but then it becomes tasteless," she said.

The NCP leader said the Eknath Shinde-led government, which came to power by toppling the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) ruling coalition in June 2022, is doing everything other than providing good governance in the state.

The Shinde-BJP government completed one year in office on June 30.

"Unless (NCP president) Sharad Pawar, is targeted there is no news," she said.

Mr Fadnavis recently said Sharad Pawar had agreed to form a government with the BJP after the last Assembly polls, but later backed out.

Reacting to it, the NCP chief admitted her party was in touch with the BJP for government formation more than three years ago, but maintained "certain things were done" to expose the saffron outfit and show how far it can go to gain power.

Mr Fadnavis was sworn-in as chief minister and Ajit Pawar as his deputy in the early morning hours at the Raj Bhavan, but their government lasted for just 80 hours.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)