Pawar vs Pawar: Amid NCP infighting, Thackeray’s Shiv Sena takes ‘Vijay Mallya-Nirav Modi’ dig at BJP

Days after NCP leader Ajit Pawar joined the Maharashtra government, the Shiv Sena (UBT) on Wednesday claimed that only alleged economic offenders Mehul Choksi, Nirav Modi and Vijay Mallya were left to be inducted into the BJP.

An editorial in the Sena (UBT) mouthpiece 'Saamana' dubbed the political situation in Maharashtra a movie, called "One (doubt) full and two half", a reference to Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and two Deputy CMs Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar.

On Sunday, Ajit Pawar led a vertical split in the NCP to become deputy chief minister in the one-year-old Shiv Sena-BJP government, shocking his uncle Sharad Pawar, who founded the outfit 24 years ago after quitting the Congress.

Besides Ajit Pawar, eight other NCP MLAs, including Chhagan Bhujbal and Hasan Mushrif, were sworn in as ministers in the Eknath Shinde cabinet.

The editorial claimed the ‘superpower’ in Delhi was behind the developments in the NCP. It said the Supreme Court has in a judgement made it clear that a party's legislative group cannot stake claim over the organisation and its symbol.

There is no basis for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to talk about corruption, morality and dacoity, the Marathi publication said.

“The BJP is being ridiculed for what it has done in Maharashtra. It is only left for the party to induct Mehul Choksi, Nirav Modi and Vijay Mallya. One will be made national treasurer of the party, second will be appointed in the NITI Aayog and third the governor of the Reserve Bank of India,” it quipped.

Fugitives Mehul Choksi, Nirav Modi and Vijay Mallya are alleged to have defrauded public sector banks by siphoning off funds through their companies, resulting in losses worth thousands of crores to the lenders.

The editorial said before the 2014 Assembly polls, Fadnavis claimed Ajit Pawar will go to jail in an alleged irrigation scam, but the NCP leader (on Sunday) took oath as the deputy chief minister in his presence.

It said the discussion on portfolio allocation (to new ministers) should have been done at the CM's official bungalow 'Varsha', but it happened at 'Sagar', the bungalow of Fadnavis. It is a "sorry state of affairs" for CM Shinde, the Marathi daily said.

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