Pune (Maharashtra), July 17 Nationalist Congress Party (SP) President Sharad Pawar on Wednesday called upon the MahaYuti government in Maharashtra to provide details of its discussions with the Maratha and OBC community leaders who are currently on a warpath for reservation.
During a media interaction with the Pune Union of Working Journalists here, Pawar referred to Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Minister Chhagan Bhujbal’s surprise visit to his Mumbai residence on Monday, saying they discussed the ongoing agitations, and the hunger strikes by leaders of both the communities on the quota issue,
“Bhujbal informed me about the reservation status and urged that in the interest of Maharashtra, I should join the efforts. However, we have no details on what transpired between Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Maratha leader Manoj Jarange-Patil. We shall seek the details and then join the meetings,” Pawar said.
Pawar had assured Bhujbal on Monday that he would call up the CM and seek the outcome of the government’s talks with the Maratha-OBC leaders on the reservation row.
Touching upon Bhujbal’s criticism of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) for not attending the all-party meeting convened by CM Shinde on the quota row, Pawar said the government is talking to both sides (Marathas, OBCs) but nobody knows what is being discussed, so there was no point in attending the CM’s meeting.
On the recent defeat of NCP (SP) backed Peasants & Workers Party President Jayant P. Patil in the biennial MLC polls, Pawar said nobody is to be blamed but admitted that it was a political miscalculation and a wrong strategy.
Queried about the possibility of taking back his nephew Ajit Pawar – who split the original NCP in July 2023 – Pawar made it clear that he would first consult all his (party) colleagues who stood with him before taking any step in this matter.
When asked if ex-CM and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray has become adamant after the Lok Sabha polls, as he fielded a third candidate in the recent MLC polls, Pawar replied in the negative, saying there are no leadership conflicts in the MVA.
However, he observed that leaders of all political parties take a tough stand in the interests of their party, “but adjustments and compromises are required to be made before presenting a united front”, adding that “we are not very perturbed about it”.
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