Nationalist Congress Party president Sharad Pawar, on August 14 stated that there was no confusion within the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) over his meeting with nephew and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar in Pune.
“The MVA is united and we will successfully organise the next meeting of INDIA coalition — the Indian National Developmental, Inclusive Alliance in Mumbai on August 31 and September 1,” NCP president told reporters in Baramati, on his visit to his home base since Ajit Pawar’s union with the Eknath Shinde-led government on July 2.
MVA constituents, Congress and Shiva Sena had asked Pawar to clear the confusion caused by these meetings between the uncle-nephew duo.
“The recent visit of the uncle-nephew (Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar) is turning out to be amusing. Maharashtra does not know whether to laugh or get angry and also at whom. Sharad Pawar’s image gets tarnished by such meetings and that is not good,” as stated in an editorial in ‘Saamana’, Shiv Sena’s mouthpiece.
“There is no confusion among MVA partners. We are all together and will ensure the INDIA meeting in Mumbai on August 31 and September 1 is organised successfully,” said the NCP chief.
Mr. Pawar, furthermore, requested media to avoid creating more confusion by asking the same questions.
“Myself, Uddhav Thackeray and state Congress president Nana Patole have taken the responsibility of organising the INDIA meeting in Mumbai,” Mr. Pawar said. The meeting is scheduled to be held at a luxury hotel.
Pawar cleared that the NCP had no association with "factions from MVA" which aligned with the BJP at the state and national level, insinuating to the move by his nephew, Ajit.
He further added that he is expecting to speak with Nawab Malik, the NCP leader, who was recently, on August 11 granted two months’ interim bail in a money laundering case.
The Enforcement Directorate had arrested the former minister on February 23, 2022, in a case registered over the Goawala compound property, allegedly linked to gangster Dawood Ibrahim, in Kurla.
Malik has been in judicial custody since March 2022 and was admitted at a private hospital in Kurla, in May 2022 and continues to remain at the hospital.
