Mumbai: In an interesting revelation, state NCP (Ajit Pawar) Chief Sunil Tatkare on Tuesday said that the NCP had decided to join hands with the Shiv Sena in 2009 Lok Sabha polls, but it didn't happen later. He also asked what was wrong in going with the BJP in 2014.
Tatkare was addressing a rally at Gadchiroli as part of the first phase of his party's Vidarbha tour which is tagged ‘Nirdhar Nav Parvacha: Ghadyal Tech, Vel Navi’ (Determination for New Era: Same Clock, New Time). While junking all arguments that the NCP (Ajit Pawar) joined the government under Eknath Shinde due to fear of action from agencies against them, Tatkare revealed that the NCP had made attempts to join hands with parties other than the Congress in the past also.
"If that was right, what is the mistake that we have committed now?"
"In 2009 all of us from the NCP were called together and it was decided that we shall go with the Shiv Sena in the Lok Sabha polls. However, that didn't materialise later," he said and added that the NCP had even lent an unilateral support to the then newly formed BJP government under Devendra Fadnavis. "If that was right, what is the mistake that we have committed now?" Tatkare asked.
"People have been praising the ministers Ajitdada Pawar has chosen. But, some of our own people have been criticising us even now. Such things hurt to the extent that they lead to depression," Tatkare added while trying to convince the audience that they have done nothing wrong.
Gram Panchayat polls result shows people are with Ajit Pawar: Tatkare
He also stated that since the NCP (Ajit Pawar) has been able to register second highest victories against its name in the Gram Panchayat polls, it means that the people have supported Ajit Pawar's decision.
FDA minister DharmaraoBaba Atram, who hails from Gadchiroli, said that the NCP is number one power in the district currently and he can guarantee that winning a Lok Sabha and Two assembly seats from the district would be a problem. "We lost power in the district because we kept supporting the Congress," he added.
