Remove Ajit Pawar from ruling alliance, says BJP leader at party meet; NCP fumes
Pune, Jun 27: A BJP office-bearer from Shirur in Maharashtra's Pune district has sought the removal of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and his NCP from the ruling alliance, which also consists of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena.
A video of Sudarshan Choudhary, the BJP's Shirur tehsil vice president, making the demand at a party meeting recently has gone viral, leading to a backlash from the Nationalist Congress Party, whose workers mobbed him on Thursday and sought an apology.
"It is a suggestion to you. Listen to what party workers are thinking. If you really want to make a decision, remove Ajit Pawar from the Mahayuti (ruling alliance)," Choudhary tells the BJP leadership in the video.
He also said senior leaders like Subhash Deshmukh, Rahul Kulkarni and Yogesh Tilekar, who were present in the meeting, could have become ministers and others could have been made head of state-run corporations if Pawar was not part of the ruling dispensation.
The BJP had been opposing Pawar for the last 10 years but workers are now in a state of fear because the Deputy CM is at the helm of affairs, Choudhary further claimed.
It is the wish of all BJP workers in the tehsil that they do want such power which also involves Ajit Pawar, he added.
"Why bring Ajit Pawar to power because he will issue orders and suppress BJP workers," Choudhary said in the video.
Speaking to reporters on the issue, Choudhary said during the review meeting held in Shirur, BJP workers freely expressed their wish.
Meanwhile, several Nationalist Congress Party workers arrived at the Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC) complex here when Choudhary was talking to reporters, shouted slogans against him and sought an apology for the statement on the deputy CM.
The ruling alliance got a drubbing in the recent Lok Sabha polls, managing to win just 17 seats against the Maha Vikas Aghadi's 30.
The Ajit Pawar-led NCP emerged victorious on just Raigad seat. In Shirur, NCP (SP) MP Amol Kolhe trounced the ruling alliance's Shivajirao Adhalrao Patil by a margin of more than 1.40 lakh votes.
Ajit Pawar and eight MLAs had joined the Shinde government in July last year.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Akash Singh says signature celebration fuels motivation, reinforces dominance
Lucknow (PTI): Pacer Akash Singh caught the eye with his unique celebration during Lucknow Super Giants' win over Chennai Super Kings, pulling out a piece of paper from his pocket after a wicket, a gesture he said was aimed at "motivating" himself and "asserting dominance" over batters.
The left-arm pacer pulled out a scrappy piece of paper after each of the three wickets he took in LSG seven-wicket win over CSK, with the message reading: "Akki on fire -- Akash knows how to take wickets in T20 cricket.
The 24-year-old, who began his IPL journey with Rajasthan Royals and was part of Chennai Super Kings’ title-winning campaign in 2023 before moving to Lucknow Super Giants, registered his best IPL figures with 3 for 26 on Friday.
"'Akki knows how to take wickets in T20 cricket', right?" Akash said when asked about the message on the piece of paper, adding that it serves as a source of motivation and helps him focus on dominating batters and delivering stronger performances for the team.
"Different things motivate different people. Some days I show the paper, some days I don't, but it reflects my mindset on that particular day. When you carry a piece of paper with something written on it, you manifest things and the most important part is when those manifestations actually materialise," he added.
Akash, who hails from Bharatpur in Rajasthan, said the strong backing from the Lucknow Super Giants support staff over the last two years had played a huge role in his growth as a cricketer.
"I've been with LSG for two years and the most important thing has been the backing from the coaches, even when I'm not in the playing XI. This year we have Bharat Arun sir, last year Zaheer sir was there...Tom Moody. The way they guide us, prepare us and keep us ready for opportunities is very important when there are 25 players in the squad," he said.
"When you are not playing, you naturally seek backing and every player wants to make the most of the opportunities he gets. The support from the captain also matters a lot and with Rishabh bhaiya backing you, the confidence grows and you are able to perform better," Akash said, referring to Rishabh Pant.
Akash said Pant had asked him to trust his strengths ahead of the clash against CSK.
"He told me that the new ball is my strength and that I can swing it both ways. So I just tried to make the best use of my skills. The wicket also had good bounce, so I focused on using the bouncer effectively,” added Akash.
On his success against CSK, Akash said his experience of playing in the IPL since 2020, including a stint with CSK, helped him understand the opposition batters better, while backing his own strengths with the ball also played a key role in his impressive spell.
"Obviously, when you play in the IPL and have shared the dressing room with some players, you understand their strengths and weaknesses. My focus was first to back my own strengths, then exploit their weaknesses and also make the best use of what the wicket was offering," Akash said.
Akash said he had sensed over the last two-three games that an opportunity could come his way after being repeatedly told to "be ready", though he admitted he was unfortunate not to get a chance earlier.
"Two days before the match, during practice, I was told to be ready," he said.
Clarifying that he had not been carrying the piece of paper in anticipation, Akash said he often notes down thoughts that could help improve his game..
"Whenever I’m alone or about to sleep, any thought that comes to my mind which can help my cricket, I write it down. The other night I got this thought and jotted it down on paper," he added.
