Would have brought along entire party had CM's post been offered: Ajit Pawar
Thane, Aug 7: Maharashtra deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Wednesday said he would have brought the entire Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) with him had the BJP and Shiv Sena offered him the chief minister's post.
Speaking at the launch of "Yoddha Karmayogi - Eknath Sambhaji Shinde", a biography of the current chief minister, Pawar noted in a lighter vein that in politics he was senior to both CM Shinde and fellow deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis.
Shinde and Fadnavis were also present at the book launch.
Pawar rebelled against his uncle Sharad Pawar in July 2023 and joined the BJP-Sena government by splitting the NCP.
"All went ahead and I trailed behind," Ajit Pawar said, noting that Fadnavis first became an MLA in 1999 and Shinde in 2004, while he first became a member of the state assembly way back in 1990.
Fadnavis served as chief minister twice, from 2014 to 2019 and for 72 hours in 2019 when Ajit Pawar joined hands with him in a short-lived alliance government.
"I told a few people jokingly that when you (an apparent reference to the BJP) told Eknath Shinde to come along with these many MLAs and he would be made chief minister.....You should have asked me. I would have brought the entire party along," quipped Pawar.
"Whatever happens in life is planned by destiny," Pawar said with a mock seriousness, evoking laughter.
The NCP chief has not concealed his ambition to occupy the top post in the state in the past.
Shinde led a rebellion with 39 MLAs against then Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray in 2022 which led to the collapse of the Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government. Shinde then became the chief minister.
Pawar said he has seen several chief ministers, but none like Shinde who is surrounded by people all the time.
Speaking on the occasion, Fadnavis noted that he himself is someone who became chief minister, leader of Opposition and then a deputy chief minister during a single assembly term (between 2019 and 2024).
Similarly, Pawar became deputy chief minister, the leader of Opposition and again a deputy chief minister during the same period, he said.
Speaking to reporters later, CM Shinde expressed confidence that his government would retain power after the assembly elections, thanks to its focus on development and welfare schemes over the past two years.
"The Mahayuti government has worked as a team, prioritizing both development and welfare schemes," he said.
He also announced that funds under the 'Ladki Bahin Yojana' would be credited to the accounts of eligible women across the state before the Raksha Bandhan festival.
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Gujarat HC orders man to deposit Rs 1 lakh for attending virtual proceedings from toilet
Ahmedabad, July 14 (PTI): The Gujarat High Court on Monday directed a man, facing contempt of court for attending a virtual court hearing while relieving himself on a toilet seat, to deposit Rs 1 lakh with the court's registry after observing that he was ready to tender an unconditional apology.
The incident occurred on June 20 when Justice Nirzar S Desai was hearing a case. A video of the man soon went viral, prompting the high court to initiate suo motu contempt proceedings.
On Monday, the division bench of Justices AS Supehia and RT Vachhani directed the man, identified as Samad Abdul Rehman Shah, to deposit Rs 1 lakh in the court registry by July 22, the next date of the hearing.
"The contemnor has admitted to his conduct during the live-streaming proceedings and submitted that he was ready to tender an unconditional apology. Thus, at this stage, we direct the contemnor to deposit the amount of Rs 1 lakh before the registry of this court by the next date of hearing," the court ordered.
According to the report submitted to the court, Shah attended the hearing on June 20 for a total of 74 minutes, during which he was seen sitting on a toilet and relieving himself.
Shah's lawyer told the court that his client would tender an unconditional apology for his behaviour.
When questioned, the lawyer confirmed he had advised Shah to present himself appropriately for the hearing.
The now-infamous video showed Shah using a toilet during the proceedings, sparking outrage and leading the court to order the video’s immediate removal and ban, citing damage to the judiciary’s image.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the Gujarat High Court has permitted lawyers and litigants to join hearings virtually. Proceedings are live-streamed via the court's YouTube channel.
After finishing his business, Shah was seen picking up his phone and leaving. Justice Desai appeared unaware of his surroundings at the time.
Wearing wireless earphones, he can be seen logging in again later in the livestream, sitting in a room and waiting for his turn.
After nearly 10 minutes, he identified himself as Abdul Samad Shah, a resident of Kim village in Surat and the complainant in an assault case.
His lawyers told the court that Shah had lodged a complaint against two individuals but that a compromise had been reached between both parties.
While hearing the petition filed by the accused seeking to quash the FIR, Justice Desai asked Shah if he consented to the plea. Upon hearing Shah’s no-objection, the judge approved the petition.
