Patra uses Art 370 analogy to hint 'power tussle' in Pawar's

BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra on Saturday invoked Article 370, which was rendered dead letter last month by the Centre, to indicate a "power tussle" in Sharad Pawar-led NCP over resignation of his nephew Ajit Pawar as an MLA.

Ajit's resignation on Friday in run-up to the next month's assembly polls caused a flutter in Maharashtra politics at a time when the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a case against the Pawar senior and Ajit in connection with the alleged State Cooperative Bank (MSCB) scam.

The scam pertains to alleged irregularities in granting loans to sugar and cotton cooperatives by the then chairmen and directors of the bank, which was subsequently superseded by the RBI.

"Any political party cannot be led by 'do pradhan, do nishan and do sanvidhan'. Article 370 was applied in the NCP, and it was removed after Ajit Pawar's resignation as MLA. Against this background, I want to ask them why the NCP is quiet on removal of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir," Patra said cryptically.

Patra added that Ajit's resignation is the "inside matter" of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

Taking a veiled jibe at Sharad Pawar over his response to the ED case filed against him, Patra said the ED stands for Enforcement Directorate and not "Event Development".

Patra was referring to Pawar volunteering to visit the office of the agency in Mumbai on Friday and calling it off at the last moment "on apprehension of a law and order situation".

Referring to Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan's speech at the UN in which he attacked the RSS, Patra demanded apology from Congress top brass over the "hindu terrorism remark of former Union home minister Sushilkumar Shinde".