‘Do not depute anyone': Ajit Pawar as Shinde skips NCP's felicitation ceremony of former CMs
Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Saturday skipped a programme organised by Ajit Pawar-led NCP to feliciate previous Chief Ministers of Maharashtra.
The NCP has organised a 'Gauravshali Maharashtra' festival between May 1 and 4 to mark 65 years of the state formation at central Mumbai 's Worli, where a felicitation of all erstwhile Chief Ministers was planned on Saturday. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, former CMs Ashok Chavan and Narayan Rane (all from the BJP) attended the function. NCP-SP chief and Ajit Pawar's estranged uncle Sharad Pawar, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, and Congress's Prithviraj Chavan and Sushil Kumar Shinde did not attend the programme.
NCP's Maharashtra chief Sunil Tatkare said three days ago that a special invitation will be sent to Sharad Pawar through Praful Patel for the programme. NCP-SP's state chief Jayant Patil on Saturday said that no such invitation was extended to Pawar.
'I received a call from Shindeji at 4pm today, telling me that he was at his native village Dare in Satara district, supervising a festival organised by the state tourism department in Mahabaleshwar. Therefore, he could not attend the program,' said NCP chief and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar. Shinde had deputed state transport minister Pratap Sarnaik to represent him.
Pawar took a dig at Shinde, asking him to not depute anyone to represent him. 'This felicitation was of a former Chief Minister. It is ok if he (Shinde) cannot attend. Deputing someone to represent a former CM doesn't look good. I request Shindeji not to depute anyone for such a program in future,' said Ajit Pawar.
Fadnavis in his speech said the programme was not political in nature and it would have been good had all attended it. BJP Rajya Sabha and former CM Narayan Rane however left no room for guessing by saying those in foreign country should also have come. Rane's arch-rival and former CM Uddhav Thackeray is currently abroad.
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