Will work as responsible opposition: NCP chief Sharad Pawar
Mumbai: NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Wednesday asked the BJP and Shiv Sena to form government in Maharashtra soon, and said his party will work as a responsible opposition.
After his meeting here in the morning with senior Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut, Pawar told reporters that he was not keen on being the chief minister of the state again.
"The BJP and Sena should form the government soon. We will work as a responsible opposition," he said. He reiterated this his party and the Congress have got the mandate to be a "responsible opposition".
"I have been the chief minister four times and am not keen on that post again," Pawar said.
To a query, the Maratha strongman said he had no idea about the decision taken by the Congress on the political situation in Maharashtra.
Asked about the meeting of senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel and Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari in Delhi on Wednesday, Pawar said, "It must be about some road work".
There has been no headway in government formation after results of the state polls were declared on October 24.
The BJP, which won 105 seats, and the Shiv Sena, which bagged 56 seats, are locked in a bitter tussle over sharing of the chief minister's post and ministerial portfolios in new government, even 13 days after the Assembly poll verdict handed them enough seats to cobble up a coalition government.
They won 161 seats together in the 288-member House, much above the halfway mark of 145. Besides, the opposition NCP won 54 seats while the Congress got 44 seats.
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.
Youngsters should be made aware of UP's condition before 2017: Adityanath
Gorakhpur (UP) (PTI): Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday urged intellectuals and opinion makers to educate the younger generation about the condition of the state before 2017 and the transformation witnessed in recent years.
Addressing the "Prabuddh Samvad" programme organised by the BJP's Rapti Nagar Mandal at a marriage hall in Gorakhpur, Adityanath said youngsters must be made aware of the "era of riots, curfews, lawlessness and appeasement politics", so that such a situation does not return.
He said many youngsters today were too young to understand the condition of Uttar Pradesh 10 years ago. "If we do not tell the present generation what the state faced earlier, they will forget the consequences of misgovernance and appeasement politics," he said.
The chief minister alleged that before 2017, the state suffered from "goondaism, corruption, anarchy and exploitation by regional parties". He claimed that traders were forced to pay the "goonda tax", women felt unsafe and employment opportunities were limited, forcing many to migrate.
Highlighting the changes under the present government, Adityanath said Uttar Pradesh now offers development, security and employment opportunities.
Referring to Gorakhpur, he said the fertiliser plant has resumed operations, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) is functioning smoothly and the Baba Raghav Das (BRD) Medical College has improved healthcare services.
The chief minister added that industrial projects worth Rs 15,000 crore have generated jobs for nearly 50,000 youngsters in eastern Uttar Pradesh.
Praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Adityanath said India has emerged as a global inspiration under his leadership.
Referring to global tensions and rising fuel prices, he appealed to people to conserve fuel and adopt alternatives, such as solar energy, public transport, electric vehicles and carpooling.
Calling intellectuals the "opinion makers of the society", he said teachers, doctors, lawyers and entrepreneurs have a responsibility to guide people in the right direction. He also urged citizens to remain balanced during both favourable and challenging times.
Local MP Ravi Kishan and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLC Dharmendra Singh also addressed the programme. Mayor Manglesh Srivastava and several BJP leaders, professionals and social workers were present.
