At least 28 of 53 NCP MLAs appeared on stage with Ajit Pawar, who led a mutiny against his uncle
Sharad Pawar's long-time aide Praful Patel on Wednesday shared a searing assessment of last month's opposition unity meet at Patna as he defended his crossover to the BJP-led coalition along with Ajit Pawar.
Praful Patel, who was always by Sharad Pawar's side as they represented the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in meetings, said he "felt like laughing" at what he saw at the meeting of 17 opposition parties.
"I went to the joint opposition meeting in Patna with Sharad Pawar and I felt like laughing when I saw the scene there. There were 17 opposition parties there, seven of them have only 1 MP in the Lok Sabha and one party has zero MPs. These parties claim they will bring change," Praful Patel sneered, addressing Ajit Pawar's meeting in Mumbai around the same time Sharad Pawar held a separate gathering in another part of the city.
"The decision to join the NDA (the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance) was taken to protect the interests of our nation and party and not for personal benefits," Mr Patel said.
At least 28 of 53 NCP MLAs appeared on stage with Ajit Pawar, who led a mutiny against his uncle and party chief Sharad Pawar and joined the BJP-led Maharashtra government on Sunday. Some 17 MLAs joined Sharad Pawar's meeting, and it seems, for now, that the veteran has been bested by his nephew.
Praful Patel's switch is seen to be a huge shock to Sharad Pawar, whom he described as his guide and mentor.
Mr Patel questioned what he called Sharad Pawar's objection to align with the BJP.
"When we could accept the ideology of the Shiv Sena, then what is the objection against going with the BJP? We have joined this alliance as an independent entity. Mehbooba Mufti and Farooq Abdullah went with the BJP in Jammu and Kashmir and they are now part of the joint opposition," said the former Union Minister.
Mr Patel had, in an interview with NDTV, voiced similar reservations about the opposition, saying it lacked a "central party" capable of getting 150 seats.
"Unless you have a big party - do you find any party that will win 150 seats next time? Of course, nothing is impossible in politics but I'm just saying by a reasonable yardstick you measure, no party is going to have 150 seats. And if you don't have 150 seats, a central party, then you can't form a coalition around that number," Mr Patel told NDTV.
"Then there is the question of acceptability. Who will be the leader? There are so many parties who will not accept another party's leader," he said, adding that he didn't believe these parties could take on the BJP in 2024.