Page 10 - Ncp

Communal elements trying to erase Koregaon's history of sacrifice: Sharad

NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar has said the history of Koregaon Bhima, located in Maharashtra's Pune district, is of sacrifices made by people but some communal elements are trying to wipe it out. Violence broke out a day after the Elgar Parishad conclave was organised on December 31, 2017 in Pune to commemorate the 1818 Koregaon Bhima battle in which a British army comprising Dalits defeated the Peshwas. The Maharashtra government set up the Koregaon Bhima Inquiry Commission in February 2018 under former high court Chief Justice JN Patel to conduct a probe into the violence. Speaking on Monday at a function where advocate Rahul Makhare, who is representing some of the witnesses before the commission, joined the NCP (SP), Pawar said the violence caused restlessness in the state and the country. "One day, I received summons to be present before the commission. During the cross-examination, some people attempted to force me to say certain things. The history of Koregaon Bhima is a histo

MVA to meet on Sep 30, Oct 1 to finalise seat sharing formula: Nana Patole

He also said the Maha Vikas Aghadi is not opposing the Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana as CM Shinde repeatedly claims; 'We will make it better when we come to power,' Patole said

MVA seat sharing talks to conclude in 10 days; have to form govt: Pawar

NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar on Sunday said the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) will conclude its seat-sharing talks in 8 to 10 days for the upcoming Maharashtra assembly polls and asserted the opposition alliance has to strive to come to power in the state "at any cost". Targeting those who left his party, Pawar claimed not even a handful of them will win the state polls. Elections to the 288-member state assembly are likely to be held in mid-November, the NCP (SP) chief said addressing his party workers in Pune's Baramati town. Winnability will be the only merit for the selection of candidates, the former Union minister said, adding that in a coalition, adjustments and flexible approach are a must. The MVA comprises the NCP (SP), Congress and the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT). "You can't contest all the seats and have to allow the other two partners to field candidates and you have to work for them as well. We have to get our own government at any cost," Pawar asserted. The three

Fight won't end till I give father party he founded, symbol: Supriya Sule

Nationalist Congress Party (SP) leader Supriya Sule on Friday said her fight will not end till she gives her father Sharad Pawar the party he founded and its original symbol. The Sharad Pawar-founded NCP split in July last year after Ajit Pawar and eight MLAs joined the Eknath Shinde government. The ECI later gave the party name and 'clock' symbol to the faction led by the deputy chief minister, while Sharad Pawar's faction was christened NCP (SP) with 'man blowing tutari' as its symbol. Addressing a Maha Vikas Aghadi rally in Anushakti Nagar in north east Mumbai, Sule said, "My fight will not end until I give Pawar saheb the party he created and his symbol." She also took a swipe at the ruling alliance by saying "what happened to those who had an allergy to Nawab Malik". Malik is the sitting MLA from Anushakti Nagar and has thrown his weight with the faction led by Ajit Pawar. Malik was arrested in February 2022 by the Enforcement Directorate for allegedly usurping a property in .

Low vote transfer from Ajit's NCP resulted in poor LS showing: BJP

The BJP's reverses in Maharashtra in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls were due to poor vote transfer from the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Thursday. The BJP's "core voter base" did not like the alliance with the NCP, though "80 per cent" are now convinced about the need for such "political compromises", he added. The ruling alliance, which comprises the BJP, NCP and Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena, managed to win just 17 of the 48 Lok Sabha seats in the state. BJP won nine seats, down from 23 in the 2019 edition. "It is true that this is the BJP's worst performance in the last few general elections. We contested 28 seats but still got very less seats. However, we lost 12 seats by less than 3 per cent votes, which is a margin of 3000-6000 votes. One must remember we received the highest number of votes in this (2024 Lok Sabha) election," he said at the India Today Conclave here. Fadnavis said the BJP got more seats than

State govt's record of Badlapur case accused's death raises doubts: Sule

NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule on Tuesday alleged loopholes in the Maharashtra government's version of circumstances leading to the death of the Badlapur sexual assault case accused in police custody. Sule wondered how the accused whose face was covered with black cloth and who was handcuffed could snatch a pistol of a policeman in a moving vehicle. The accused, Akshay Shinde, died on Monday in retaliatory firing by a police officer after he snatched the pistol of a policeman in a van and opened fire, leaving an assistant inspector injured, according to police. The incident occurred when Shinde was being taken to Badlapur in Thane district from Taloja Jail in Navi Mumbai in a police vehicle. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis stressed that police had fired in self-defence. "I had demanded that the accused be hanged in public after trial to send out a strong message in society," Sule told reporters in Baramati. Alleging loopholes in the government version o

Never had aspirations to be Maharashtra's chief minister: Uddhav Thackeray

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday said he didn't harbour aspirations to become Maharashtra CM, a remark coming against the backdrop of MVA allies' reluctance to face assembly polls with a CM face. Addressing protesters in Ahmednagar, Thackeray said he didn't aspire to become the chief minister in (November) 2019 also. "Whether I am in power or not, I feel empowered by the support of the people. Balasaheb (Thackeray) never held a position of power but all powers were wrested with him because of people's support," Thackeray said. He was addressing state government employees protesting for the restoration of the Old Pension Scheme. Notably, Thackeray had last month asked NCP (SP) and Congress to decide on a chief ministerial face for the Maha Vikas Aghadi but failed to get a positive response. NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar, the chief architect of the MVA, had asserted that there was no need for the MVA to declare a CM face. The chief ministerial candidate would be deci

Some from a party using offensive language against a community: Ajit Pawar

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has said that certain individuals from a party were making objectionable remarks targeting a specific community, asserting that the NCP strongly opposes such language. He was apparently referring to BJP MLA Nitesh Rane, who in a recent video can be seen telling a gathering that they should have business transactions only with Hindus. Kankvali MLA Nitesh Rane, son of former Union minister Narayan Rane, was earlier in the eye of a storm for threatening Muslims over the community's protests against offensive remarks by Nashik-based spiritual leader Ramgiri Maharaj. Addressing a gathering in Chakan here, Pawar said on Thursday, Today, certain individuals from a political party use denigrating language targeting a particular community and religion. We do not support such language and we strongly oppose it. This kind of objectionable language creates rift in society. He also asked the gathering not to be emotional while voting and sought their

Not keen to return to BJP; points fingers at Fadnavis: Eknath Khadse

The prospects of senior leader Eknath Khadse's return to the BJP appeared dim on Tuesday after he stated that he was never keen to join the party again, and also claimed that Maharashtra deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis could be stalling his re-induction. Speculation about the former BJP leader, currently with the Sharad Pawar-led NCP, returning to the saffron party intensified after the BJP renominated his daughter-in-law Raksha Khadse as Lok Sabha candidate, and made her a Union Minister of State after she won. But there has been no announcement from the BJP yet on his reinduction despite Khadse expressing willingness earlier this year. Speaking to a regional news channel on Tuesday, Khadse said, "I was not keen on returning to the BJP fold, but senior leaders of the party insisted on it. When I met BJP president J P Nadda, he felicitated me with a scarf, and declared that I had become part of the BJP." Asked who could be coming in the way his joining the BJP, Khadse said

Bid to arrest me at Fadnavis' behest, claims ex-minister Anil Deshmukh

Former Maharashtra home minister and NCP (SP) leader Anil Deshmukh on Tuesday claimed that state Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was trying to get him arrested with the help of central agencies. In a post on X, Deshmukh also claimed an FIR has been filed against him by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) at the behest of BJP leader Fadnavis in a four-year-old incident. "It has been alleged that four years back, when I was the home minister of Maharashtra, I pressured a Jalgaon police officer to take action against BJP leader Girish Mahajan," he said. "As per my information, Devendra Fadnavis is trying to get a raid conducted on me and get me arrested. I want to tell Devendra Fadnavis, who with the help of Delhi (Centre) and ED-CBI has brought Maharashtra politics to a very low level, ' Devendra Fadnavis, I am waiting for my arrest," Deshmukh said. The CBI has registered an FIR against Deshmukh, the then special public prosecutor Pravin Pandit Chavan, and two police ..

BJP trying to 'intimidate' Hindu voters in J-K: NCP prez Farooq Abdullah

National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on Sunday said the BJP top brass was focussing its election campaign on Jammu as they want to "intimidate" the Hindu voters of Jammu and Kashmir by creating false fears. He also accused the BJP of misleading the people by claiming that terrorism will rise again if the National Conference and Congress alliance came to power in Jammu and Kashmir. "They (BJP) want to threaten the Hindu community. They think the Hindus will vote for them but today the Hindus have changed. First they (BJP) sought votes in the name of Ram and now they want to intimidate them," Abdullah charged. He was speaking to reporters at Naseembagh mausoleum of National Conference founder Sheikh Muhammad Abdulla after paying tributes to the party founder on his 42nd death anniversary. "They repealed Article 370 (of the Constitution) but did terrorism end? Terrorism is rising again and it is all their responsibility," he said. Abdullah was responding to a question on why

Society doesn't like rift in families; realised my mistake: Ajit Pawar

Noting that society doesn't like rifts in families, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has said he experienced it and has already admitted his mistake, an apparent reference to the contest between his wife Sunetra and cousin Supriya Sule in the recent Lok Sabha polls. This is the second time in less than a month that NCP leader Pawar publicly admitted he had made a mistake by fielding his wife against NCP (SP) leader Sule, the daughter of his uncle Sharad Pawar, and noted politics should not enter the home. The "admission" of mistake came against the backdrop of poor performance by the NCP, one of the constituents of the Mahayuti alliance in the state, in its maiden general elections after a split in the party. Addressing the Jansamman rally organised by the NCP in Gadchiroli city on Friday, Ajit Pawar tried to discourage party leader and state minister Dharmarao Baba Aatram's daughter Bhagyashri from crossing over to the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP). Speculation is going ..

Cracks in Mahayuti as Sena protests NCP dropping CM's name from scheme ads

Fissures have emerged in Maharashtra's ruling Mahayuti over the 'Ladki Bahin Yojana' with a Shiv Sena minister raising objection against ally NCP and its president Ajit Pawar for "omitting" Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's name from advertisements and promotional material of the scheme. Speaking to reporters here on Friday, state Excise Minister Shambhuraj Desai, who belongs to the Shiv Sena led by CM Shinde, expressed disappointment over the Deputy CM Pawar virtually "hijacking" the 'Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin' scheme, which offers a financial assistance of Rs 1,500 per month to eligible women in the state. He said not using the full name of the scheme during his (Pawar's) public outreach programmes was not as per the protocol. "The scheme has 'Chief Minister' in its name, and removing it from the scheme is inappropriate. It should not have been done," Desai alleged. "It is a state government scheme and he (Pawar) should have taken everyone along," the Excise Minister said. Ahe

Number game in MVA post-polls to decide CM: Sharad Pawar says no tussle

Nationalist Congress Party (SP) president Sharad Pawar on Wednesday said there was no need for the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) to declare a chief ministerial face ahead of the Maharashtra assembly polls with his ally Shiv Sena (UBT) saying there was no tussle over the post. The MVA's chief ministerial candidate will be decided on the basis of which party wins the most number of assembly seats in the opposition alliance, he asserted. The former Union minister's comments came in the wake of Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray's recent statement favouring declaration of the opposition bloc's CM candidate ahead of the polls which are likely to be held in November. However, on Wednesday Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray, who was in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar in central Maharashtra, maintained there was no tussle among the MVA allies over the CM post. Talking to reporters in Kolhapur, Pawar said the decision on who will be the chief minister can be made after the poll results ar

Poll-bound Maharashtra pushes 'Ladki Bahin Yojana' deadline to Sept 30

The Mukhya Mantri Ladki Bahin Yojana, launched by the Eknath Shinde-led government, was initially set to close on July 31. It supports eligible women aged 21-65

Shivaji statue collapse: MVA holds protest; Thackeray, Pawar slam PM

Leaders of the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi on Sunday held a march from the iconic Hutatma Chowk to Gateway of India in south Mumbai to protest against the collapse of a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in Maharashtra's Sindhudurg district. The statue of the 17th century Maratha warrior king at Rajkot fort in Malvan tehsil, some 480 kilometres from here, fell on August 26. It was unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 4, 2023, on the occasion of Navy Day. NCP (SP) supremo Sharad Pawar, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray, Congress state unit chief Nana Patole and the party's Mumbai head Varsha Gaikwad began the protest march by laying wreaths at Hutatma Chowk, a memorial to those martyred in the 'Samyukta Maharashtra' agitation. The protest march is to give voice to the anger of the people of Maharashtra over the statue collapsing just eight months after it was unveiled by the PM, said NCP (SP) leader Rajesh Tope and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sunil Prabhu. The .

Won't sit quietly till Maha govt is changed in coming months: Sharad Pawar

NCP (SP) president Sharad Pawar on Sunday said the opposition won't sit quietly till the Mahayuti dispensation in Maharashtra is dislodged from power in the next two months and a new government is formed on the ideals of Chhatrapati Shivaji. Addressing party workers at Ghatkopar in Mumbai, Pawar slammed the state government over the collapse of the statue of the legendary warrior king in Sindhudurg district on August 26. He said those in power in the state have no "faith" in Shivaji Maharaj. I assure you (party workers) that if you show your unity, then we will not sit quietly till the government in Maharashtra is changed in the next two months and a new government is formed on the ideals of Shivaji Maharaj that will safeguard the interests of people, Pawar said. The collapse of the Shivaji statue at Rajkot fort in Malvan tehsil has triggered a firestorm in the state, with the opposition targeting the BJP-led Mahayuti for "corruption" and "insult" to the icon. Earlier in the day,

Time for BJP to throw NCP out of Mahayuti: NCP (SP) over 'nausea' jibe

The NCP (SP) on Friday latched onto Shiv Sena minister Tanaji Sawant's remark that he feels like vomiting after sitting next to NCP ministers, saying it's time for the BJP to throw Ajit Pawar's party out of Mahayuti. It's also the time for Ajit Pawar to "wake up and smell the coffee", said the rival party led by his uncle Sharad Pawar. The BJP, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and NCP are the partners in the ruling coalition Mahayuti. NCP (SP) spokesperson Clyde Crasto said Sawant's remark shows that Mahayuti does not need the NCP any longer. The RSS' mouthpiece had questioned the BJP why they aligned with Ajit Pawar. The BJP cadre is also posing the same question, he said. Now, Shinde Sena leaders are saying derogatory things like feeling nauseating when they sit next to NCP leaders, Crasto said. The time has come when the BJP will, slowly but steadily, throw Ajit Pawar out of Mahayuti. All is not well and cracks are getting bigger by the day. "It is time for Ajit Pawar to wake up an

Sitting next to NCP ministers at meetings is nauseating: Sena leader

Shiv Sena minister Tanaji Sawant has said that he sits next to his NCP peers at cabinet meetings but feels like vomiting after coming out, prompting a sharp reaction from the Ajit Pawar-led party. Speaking at an event on Thursday, Sawant, who is Maharashtra's health minister, said he is a hardcore Shiv Sainik and never got along with Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leaders. Even if we sit next to each other in the cabinet, I feel like vomiting after coming out, Sawant said. The BJP, Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar's NCP are partners in the ruling Mahayuti coalition in the state. NCP spokesperson and Member of Legislative Council (MLC) Amol Mitkari condemned Sawant's remark and asked whether it was the responsibility of only his party to keep the alliance intact. Sawant has made remarks in the past that have hurt the NCP, he said. We are quiet only to maintain the coalition dharma, Mitkari said. It is only the chief minister who can treat his nausea,

Statue collapse: NCP holds protest, says everyone has right to agitate

The Ajit Pawar-led NCP, which is part of the Maharashtra government, on Thursday staged silent protests across the state over the collapse of Shivaji Maharaj's statue and demanded action against those responsible, while the party's state chief asserted that everyone has the right to agitate. The 35-foot statue of the 17th century Maratha empire founder installed at Rajkot fort in Sindhudurg's Malvan tehsil collapsed on August 26, nearly nine months after it was unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The incident has snowballed into a major political controversy with the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) targeting the Eknath Shinde-led Mahayuti government over it. The opposition leaders on Wednesday announced that on September 1, the MVA will take out a protest march in Mumbai against the statue collapse, while the ruling NCP also said it would stage silent protests in every district and tehsil of the state on Thursday and demand the installation of a stronger and larger statue o