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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Nitish Kumar's son Nishant among 32 to take oath as Bihar ministers
Patna (PTI): In a major expansion of the Cabinet of Bihar's first BJP-led government, JD(U) supremo Nitish Kumar's son Nishant Kumar and 31 others took oath as ministers on Thursday in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Altogether 32 leaders, drawn from all constituents of the five-party NDA in the state, were administered the oath of office by Governor Lt Gen (Retd) Syed Ata Hasnain at a grand ceremony that was also attended by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Union Health Minister J P Nadda and BJP president Nitin Nabin.
Prominent inductees included Nishant Kumar, the son of JD(U) president Nitish Kumar, who stepped down as chief minister last month to enter the Rajya Sabha.
The BJP, which is the single largest party in the 243-member assembly with 89 MLAs, has 15 ministers, who took oath on Thursday.
Most of the inductees were those who were part of the Nitish Kumar cabinet formed in November last year after the NDA stormed back to power in the assembly polls.
The JD(U) is represented by a total of 15 ministers, 13 of whom took the oath at the Gandhi Maidan on Thursday. Vijay Kumar Chaudhary and Bijendra Prasad Yadav had taken oath in April along with Samrat Choudhary and were designated as deputy chief ministers.
Sanjay Kumar Singh and Sanjay Kumar Paswan, both from the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) headed by Union minister Chirag Paswan, are back as ministers, and so are Santosh Kumar Suman and Deepak Prakash, sons of Union minister Jitan Ram Manjhi of the Hindustani Awam Morcha and Upendra Kushwaha of the Rashtriya Lok Morcha, respectively.
