Still unclear who was target of Shinde's 'don't take me lightly' remark: Ajit Pawar
New Delhi, Feb 23 (PTI): Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Sunday said it was still unclear who was the target of Eknath Shinde's remark that he should not be taken lightly.
Addressing the valedictory session of the 98th Akhil Bhartiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan here, Pawar wondered whether Shinde meant to say that Shiv Sena-UBT should not be taken lightly or someone else.
Shinde, who spoke after Pawar, did not elaborate and merely said that the "don't take me lightly" comment was a reference to an incident that took place over two years ago.
"Recently, Shinde used a phrase 'don't take me lightly'. It is still not clear who was the target of those remarks," Pawar said in the presence of Shinde, who is also deputy CM, at the Talkatora Stadium.
"It is still not clear whether 'Mashal' should not be taken lightly or someone else should not take him lightly," Pawar said. 'Mashal' is the election symbol of Shiv Sena-UBT led by Uddhav Thackeray.
Pawar also made it clear that there was no rift within the MahaYuti comprising BJP-NCP-Shiv Sena.
In 2022, Shinde had become chief minister by splitting the Thackeray-led Sena and forming an alliance with the BJP.
After the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections, Shinde had to agree to a role reversal with Devendra Fadnavis, his deputy in the previous regime, becoming the chief minister.
At the event on Sunday, Shinde recalled that it was during his tenure as chief minister that Marathi was granted the classical language status by the central government.
He also took a dig at Shiv Sena-UBT recalling how his political rivals were upset at he receiving the Mahadji Shinde Award at the hands of NCP-SP chief Sharad Pawar.
He also referred to the camaraderie between Sharad Pawar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the inauguration of the Sammelan.
"We forget everything after the elections and nurture relationships beyond politics," Shinde said.
Both Ajit Pawar and Shinde expressed concern over growing use of English as the medium of instruction.
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SP has ended contract with I-PAC due to fund constraints: Akhilesh Yadav
Lucknow (PTI): Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday said his party has severed its association with the Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) due to a lack of funds.
He dismissed speculations that the termination of contract was because of recent election results.
Addressing a press conference here, Yadav said the party had engaged I-PAC for a brief period ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections but could not continue the arrangement.
"Yes, we had an association. They worked with us for a few months, but we are not able to continue because we do not have that kind of funding," he said.
The I-PAC is a political consultancy firm known for managing major election campaigns across the country.
Election strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor has also been associated with the organisation in the past and has worked with multiple parties, including the BJP and the Congress.
In a lighter vein, Yadav took a swipe at the ecosystem of political consultancies. "We thought that if we have to work with a 'winning agency', then there are several big companies."
He said that some people suggested conducting surveys, hiring another firm, keeping a social media company, and even engaging agencies for negative campaigning against other parties.
"There are one or two more companies whose names are not yet known. I can get those for you as well," Yadav said.
Yadav rejected the suggestion that the decision to end the deal was influenced by recent election outcomes in states such as West Bengal.
"There is no such thing. Do not ask questions based on baseless reports. That is not true," he said.
"This is not the reason for ending the agreement. We simply do not have enough funds. If you (the media) give us funds, we can hire another company," the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said.
