"Valid Demand": Sharad Pawar As Congress Eyes Opposition Leader Post

Nationalist Congress Party Chief Sharad Pawar on Monday said that if Congress wants to appoint their leader of Opposition then it would be a valid demand as the party with the maximum number of MLAs gets to appoint the LoP.

"The party which has the maximum number of MLAs can demand the LoP post. As per my information, Congress has the maximum number currently and if they ask for it then it's valid demand," NCP Chief Sharad Pawar said on Monday while speaking to reporters.

"Many from there (Ajit Pawar's side) called me and said most of them are still with the original ideology/policies of the NCP and they will declare their stand at the right time," Mr Pawar said.

"I have not called anyone to show any strength here. Sometimes your strength goes up and sometimes, it goes down. I had faced this earlier also in 1980 where out of my 59 MLAs only 5 were left but I campaigned for my party and those who left the party lost in the next election," Sharad Pawar said during the press conference.

Sharad Pawar further said that he has never worried about who left and who stayed. Today, during my tour, around 80 per cent of the total people who came to meet me were youngsters. These youngsters will work for the secular ideology and strengthen Maharashtra with whatever it takes.

The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Monday disqualified nine MLAs including Ajit Pawar, who were sworn in as ministers in the Shinde-Fadnavis government on July 2, for indulging in anti-party activities. The NCP moved a disqualification petition against the nine MLAs to Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar.

Ajit Pawar and Chhagan Bhujbal along with Dilip Patil, Hasan Mushrif, Dhananjay Mundo, Dharmaraobaba Atram, Aditi Tatkare, Sanjay Bansode and Anil Patil joined Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis-led Maharashtra government on Sunday.

Expressing disappointment in Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare, Pawar said, "I had appointed Sunil Tatkare as National General secretary and Prafull Patel as working president. I had given them some responsibilities. But they did something which I had not assigned to them. Therefore they don't have the right to be in those posts," NCP Chief said.

Nationalist Congress Party working President Supriya Sule on Monday wrote to Party Supremo Sharad Pawar to disqualify MP and Party Members Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare for allegedly indulging in anti-party activities.

"I write with great urgency to inform you that two Members of Parliament, Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare...have indulged in anti-party activities by facilitating and spearheading the swearing of the oath of nine MLAs as Cabinet Ministers of Government of Maharashtra," Supriya Sule wrote to Sharad Pawar.

While speaking to the media on Monday, Sharad Pawar alleged that the BJP is trying to create a rift among communities.

"I had expectations that the party would be strengthened. The BJP in various states is trying to create a rift among communities. I had expectations from party leaders to fight against this and make social uniformity and unity, but some have taken a different stand," Sharad Pawar said.