Sharad Pawar denies split in NCP; says Ajit Pawar continues to be leader of party
Pune (PTI): Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on Friday asserted that there was no split in the party and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar continues to be its leader.
He also said that some leaders have left the NCP by taking a "different political stand", but it cannot be termed as a split.
Pawar was talking to reporters at his hometown Baramati in Pune district in the morning before leaving for Kolhapur, where he is scheduled to address a rally later in the day.
A day earlier, his daughter and party's working president Supriya Sule called Ajit Pawar a senior leader and MLA of the party. "Now, he (Ajit Pawar) has taken a stand that is against the party, and we have given a complaint to the assembly speaker and are awaiting his response," Sule, who is NCP's Baramati MP, told reporters.
When asked about Sule's statement that there is no split in the NCP and Ajit Pawar is a leader of the party, Pawar senior said, "Yes, there is no question about it."
"How can anybody say that there is a split in NCP? There's no question that Ajit Pawar is our party leader," he said.
"What does a split in a political party mean? Split occurs when a large group in a party is separated at the national level. But no such thing has happened here. Some people left the party, some took a different stand...In democracy it is their right to take a decision," he added.
Ajit Pawar and eight other NCP MLAs had joined the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the state on July 2.
Replying to a query, Sharad Pawar also said that the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), comprising the NCP, Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) and Congress, will perform better than the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Maharashtra in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
When asked about a survey that projected the opposition INDIA alliance getting a good response against the NDA in the Lok Sabha polls, Pawar said, "I haven't seen the survey yet. But yes, we are talking with some survey organisations where we can clearly see that MVA will win maximum seats in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections."
The INDIA alliance is scheduled to hold its third meeting on August 31 and September 1 in Mumbai.
Talking about the onion exports duty issue, the veteran leader said, "The government should reduce the 40 per cent duty imposed on onion exports. There is no benefit to onion growers. Everybody knows that onion is considered an arable crop. Hence, the government should look into this sensitive matter."
"I tried to contact some ministers in the Centre, but could not have a word with them. Talks about limitations on the export of sugar are also underway by the central government," he added.
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President Donald Trump to feature on limited edition US passports
Washington (PTI): The State Department is all set to unveil a limited-edition US passport with pictures of President Donald Trump and the Founding Fathers to commemorate the 250th anniversary of American independence in July.
The special passports will be available only to those who show up in person at the Washington Passport Agency and not anywhere else across the country.
The Department of State shared images of the limited edition passports on its social media accounts.
One page of the passport carries Trump's image surrounded by the text of the Declaration of Independence and the American flag along with the president's signature in gold.
Another page features the famous painting of the founding fathers at the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
The passports, which are set to be released this summer, are part of the Trump administration’s broader "America250" celebration, which also includes a Grand Prix race on the National Mall in August and a UFC fight on the White House South Lawn in June.
"As the United States celebrates America's 250th anniversary in July, @StateDept is preparing to release a limited number of specially designed US Passports to commemorate this historic occasion,” State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said in a post on X.
A State Department official told Fox News Digital that the new designs will be available for "any American citizen" who applies for a passport when the rollout happens and will continue for as long as there is availability.
“These passports will feature customised artwork and enhanced imagery while maintaining the same security features that make the US Passport the most secure documents in the world,” Pigott said in a statement.
In October, the Department of Treasury proposed minting a one dollar coin featuring Trump’s image on it, to mark the 250th anniversary of American Independence.
According to draft images confirmed as real by US Treasurer Brandon Beach, one side of the coin would feature Trump’s profile, along with the words “LIBERTY,” “IN GOD WE TRUST,” and “1776-2026.”
The other side of the coin would feature Trump standing with a clenched right fist in front of an American flag and the words “FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT” — a reference to his chant after the 2024 assassination attempt at his campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
