Sharad Pawar criticizes Dhananjay Munde amid controversy, calls for resignation over aide’s arrest
Mumbai: Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar faction) chief Sharad Pawar on Monday criticized Maharashtra minister Dhananjay Munde, stating that "anyone with self-respect would have quit" after Munde’s close aide, Valmik Karad, was arrested in connection with the abduction and murder of sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh in Massajog, Beed.
Despite mounting pressure from the opposition and Mahayuti allies, Munde has refused to resign, asserting he has no involvement in the case. Pawar expressed concern over the state's political climate and questioned the government’s moral responsibility, also referencing NCP minister Manikrao Kokate’s recent conviction for using forged documents to obtain low-income housing.
“The situation in Maharashtra is troubling,” Pawar said, accusing the Mahayuti government of neglecting ethical standards. “Earlier, leaders would resign in such cases to allow investigations, but this government seems unaware of moral obligations.”
Defections and political tensions
When asked about speculation of Uddhav Thackeray’s MPs defecting to Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s faction, Pawar dismissed the possibility, stating that recent discussions with MPs from the NCP, Congress, and Thackeray’s party showed no signs of defection.
Pawar also responded to Shinde’s recent warning to Thackeray, saying, “I don’t understand what ‘Don’t take it lightly’ means. As far as I know Marathi, that phrase doesn’t exist.”
Concerns over interstate tensions
Pawar condemned the Maharashtra government's suspension of MSRTC bus services to Karnataka after alleged attacks by pro-Kannada activists in Chitradurga. He warned that halting bus services inconveniences ordinary citizens and should be avoided.
On the Mahadji Shinde Award controversy
Addressing criticism for presenting the Mahadji Shinde award to Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Pawar clarified that he was merely attending the Delhi event, where several others were also felicitated. “The focus remained on Shinde, but 14 others were honored at the same event,” he said.
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'Last rites' of INDIA bloc: BJP on Cong-DMK fallout in Tamil Nadu
New Delhi (PTI): The BJP on Wednesday took a swipe at the Congress for extending support to Vijay's TVK in forming the government in Tamil Nadu and breaking away from its long term ally DMK, saying the party has a history of "betraying" its allies.
The saffron party also attacked the opposition INDIA bloc, claiming the alliance is "falling apart like a pack of cards" and lacks any common ideology or vision.
The Tamil Nadu Congress has decided to support TVK leader Vijay in forming a secular government in the state, sources said.
The decision to support the TVK was taken at an urgent meeting of the Political Affairs Committee (PAC) of Tamil Nadu Congress late on Tuesday night.
Reacting to the development, BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla claimed the INDIA alliance had effectively come to an end after the declaration of assembly election results on May 4.
"There is nobody whom the Congress has not deceived. Imagine what they will do to the Samajwadi Party if they have done this to the DMK," he wrote in a post on X.
Calling it the "last rites" of the INDIA bloc, Poonawalla, in a video post, said, "It has become a Bharat free of the DMK, TMC and the Left, and now Congress has dumped the DMK for the TVK."
The BJP spokesperson alleged that the opposition bloc was formed solely out of political compulsions and personal ambitions.
"The INDI alliance never had any mission or vision. It was only about ambition for position, corruption, commission and obsession against Modi ji that they came together. But now it is all falling apart like a pack of cards," he said.
Questioning the unity of the opposition parties, Poonawalla said the alliance was absent in several states during the election.
"Where was the INDI alliance in Bengal, in Kerala, in Gujarat, in Punjab, in Delhi, in Haryana, in Karnataka? There is no INDI alliance," he said.
The DMK on Wednesday described the Congress move to extend support to TVK as a "backstab" by its long-time national ally.
Speaking to PTI videos, DMK spokesperson Saravanan Anadurai said, "The Congress party has decided to ally with the TVK, pledging their support to the party. I think they have backstabbed... They have backstabbed the people of Tamil Nadu. They've backstabbed the mandate given by the people of Tamil Nadu."
He said that the decision came even before the electoral process had fully concluded.
"Even before the ink on the returning officer's signature on the victory certificate dried up, they've chosen to go ahead with an alliance," he said.
Vijay's TVK won 108 seats in the 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly, falling short of the halfway mark. He needs the support of 10 MLAs to form a government with a simple majority. The results were declared only on Monday.
The Congress has won five seats, while the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) has bagged four seats. The CPI and CPI-M have two seats each. The outgoing ruling party, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), has won 59 seats while the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) has won 47 seats.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has won only one seat, and so have the Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) and the Amma Makkal Munnettra Kazagam (AMMK), while the VCK has won two seats.
The Congress had fought the assembly polls in a pre-poll alliance with the DMK, while the BJP had a tie-up with the AIADMK.
