‘Felt like laughing’: Ajit Pawar camp’s Praful Patel at opposition unity meet in Patna

Mumbai: Former Union minister Praful Patel, who is with the Ajit Pawar-led NCP group, on Wednesday took a dig at the meeting of opposition parties in Patna last month, saying he “felt like laughing” when he saw the scene where Seven of the 17 were from opposition parties. The present parties have only one MP in the Lok Sabha and there was one party which does not have any MP. Patel, who was speaking at a meeting of NCP leaders convened by the Ajit Pawar group at Mumbai Education Trust Bandra, said he has taken the decision to join the NDA in Maharashtra for the country and our party and not for personal gain . The crisis in the Nationalist Congress Party escalated on Wednesday after both the groups held meetings together in a show of strength.

Sharad Pawar-led NCP is holding a meeting of its members at YB Chavan Auditorium in Mumbai, while Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar is at Mumbai Education Trust (MET) meeting NCP MPs, MLAs, MLCs, district heads and state representatives. Bandra.

Praful Patel participated in the meeting of opposition parties in Patna on 23 June with Sharad Pawar. He was a close aide of former Union minister Sharad Pawar before he switched sides.

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Praful Patel said questions are being raised on joining hands with them and listed parties like PDP and National Conference which were with BJP in the past.

“When we can accept Shiv Sena’s ideology, what is the objection in going with BJP? We have joined this alliance as an independent entity. Mehbooba Mufti and Farooq Abdullah went with BJP in J&K and Now they are part of the united opposition,” he said.

He scoffed at the opposition parties’ claim of bringing change.

“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, 7 of them have only one MP in the Lok Sabha and one party Such is that they have zero MPs. They claim that they will bring change… We have taken this decision (of joining NDA) for the country and our party, not for personal gain.”

The parallel meetings were held after both the factions announced key appointments to establish their control over the party.

The Ajit Pawar-led NCP faction has taken affidavits from party workers to show their allegiance at MET Bandra.

Sharad Pawar’s loyalists raise slogans in his support at YB Chavan Centre.

The crisis in the Nationalist Congress Party has arisen after Ajit Pawar on Sunday switched sides and joined the Eknath Shinde-BJP government as Deputy Chief Minister. Along with Pawar, eight other NCP MLAs took oath as ministers on Sunday.

Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has filed a disqualification petition against nine MLAs with Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narvekar.

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

Sharad Pawar has expelled Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare from the party for “anti-party activities”.

“Your actions of supporting Ajit Pawar and eight other MLAs who have taken oath as Ministers in violation of the party’s directive and mandate prima facie amount to anti-party activities and will be deemed to have voluntarily given up the membership of the Nationalist Congress Party.” ” party,” Pawar said in a communication that was also sent to the party’s two MPs.

It said, “In view of your actions of voluntarily giving up membership of the Nationalist Congress Party, I formally remove your name from the membership register of the party.”

The communication states that the action of the MPs, “in a clandestine manner, without the knowledge or consent of the party president, amounts to desertion of the party, which in turn invites disqualification from the primary membership”.

Praful Patel, a Rajya Sabha MP, has been a close aide of Pawar and was appointed working president of the NCP last month. He was a minister in the Congress-led UPA government along with Pawar. Sharad Pawar’s daughter Supriya Sule wrote a letter to him for action against both the MPs.