
NCP workers dream of Ajit Pawar becoming CM: Mushrif
NCP
veteran and minister Hasan Mushrif on Monday said every party worker wanted
Ajit Pawar
to become the chief minister, and they should work ceaselessly to achieve this goal.
"Ajit Pawar is an influential leader.
He is committed to the public and never backs down from his word. He has a great future. Every worker dreams of him becoming the chief minister.
We will work tirelessly till Ajit Pawar becomes the CM," Mushrif said, while addressing a party workers' meeting in Sangli.
The minister said (undivided) NCP gave outside support to BJP on multiple occasions. "Even Sharad Pawar took BJP along while forming the Pulod govt (Progressive Democratic Front).
Ajit Pawar decided to join BJP-led govt too. But, we have not compromised on the party's progressive ideals. We believe in Shahu-Phule-Ambedkar's ideology. Our aim is to develop the state and expand the party," he said.
Mushrif said the upcoming local body elections were crucial. "Our aim is to win. We have to keep in mind that NCP is in alliance with Shiv Sena and BJP. Wherever possible, NCP will form an alliance with these two parties, and wherever it is not, we will have to contest alone and fight to win," the minister added.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Hans India
28 minutes ago
- Hans India
This is Modi's era, everything moves fast: Tejasvi Surya's jibe at DKS
Bengaluru: BJP MP Tejasvi Surya took a sharp dig at Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, stating that the era of delayed inaugurations and indecisive governance is over. 'I belong to a new generation that believes in speedy execution. The time when Indira Gandhi laid the foundation stone and Sonia Gandhi inaugurated the same project decades later is gone. This is the Modi era—everything moves fast,' Surya said, addressing the media in New Delhi. Referring to criticisms about the urgency in implementing the Yellow Line metro project, Surya countered, 'Why are they questioning the urgency now? Where were they when there were real problems? For four years, the Metro project had no MD. BMRCL fixed and postponed half a dozen inauguration dates in two years.' Surya emphasized the importance of swift action. 'In the past, classical Congress-style politics delayed progress. Even for simple inaugurations, there were decades of delay. Those enjoying zero-traffic VIP routes don't understand the urgency of metro connectivity for the common people,' he said. Citing the example of the Suburban Rail Project, Surya pointed out, 'It still doesn't have a full-time MD. Four corridor projects are stalled, and contractors have abandoned work. This is the state government's story. The fare revision committee report is still pending. I had to approach the court regarding this. The Bengaluru Metro has the highest fares in the country. When ticket prices are hiked by 130%, how will common people cope?' On the issue of voter list revision in Bihar and Rahul Gandhi's protest, Surya said, 'Let's keep politics aside. The Supreme Court has ruled that the process was fair. Every time a decision goes against Rahul Gandhi, he questions the judiciary. But when a verdict favors him, the court becomes 'super'. This double standard must stop.' Commenting on the voter roll discrepancies in Mahadevapura, Surya questioned the sudden uproar. 'If the issue has existed for years, why protest now? It's clear—Congress wants power. Rahul Gandhi is unable to mentally accept that PM Modi has led the country successfully for 10–11 years. Power once belonged to them. They can't handle the people's verdict, and hence continue to attack the judiciary, Lokpal, and other institutions.'


Indian Express
28 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Punjab BJP announces ‘Save Land, Save Farmers' Yatra against land pooling policy from Aug 17 to Sep 5
Sharpening its attack on ruling AAP in Punjab against the proposed 'Land Pooling Scheme', the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Wednesday announced a state-wide yatra titled 'Save Land, Save Farmers', from August 17 to September 5. The drive will be led by party's state working president Ashwani Sharma. Addressing a press conference in Chandigarh, BJP's state vice president Kewal Singh Dhillon said that during this yatra, BJP Punjab will go village-to-village creating awareness among farmers against this scheme and mobilise them. It will meet the farmers who are already aware and struggling, and standing shoulder-to-shoulder, will support them. The yatra will kick off on August 17 from Patiala, and pass through villages in Malwa, Majha, and Doaba regions affected by the land pooling plan, culminating in Pathankot on September 5, he said. BJP leaders condemned the Bhagwant Mann government, saying it has launched a serious assault on the land of farmers. Through the land pooling scheme, the government seeks to hand over farmers' land to land mafias through backdoor means – which is completely unacceptable, they said. They stated, 'BJP stands like a rock with the farmers. Until the AAP government withdraws the land pooling policy, the BJP will continue to fight at all levels in solidarity with the farmers.' Meanwhile, BJP's state president Sunil Jakhar in a post on X wrote: 'The Punjab and Haryana High Court has granted a stay on Punjab government's land pooling policy. Although this stay is currently limited to a single day, considering the government's authority of unsuccessful litigation regarding policies detrimental to the public interest, it is likely that this initiative to acquire farmers' land will not withstand legal scrutiny. Consequently, the government is poised to face defeat in this case as well. Therefore it would be prudent for the Chief Minister to relinquish the interests of Delhi and acknowledge the sentiments of Punjab by withdrawing this policy.'


The Print
41 minutes ago
- The Print
Real Smriti Irani would give Tulsi Virani a tight slap
The show has made a comeback to the small screen, after a gap of 17 years. Welcome home, Tulsi, Shanti Niketan was missing you. Smriti 'Tulsi Virani' Irani has returned to where she always belonged. On the sets of TV series Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi ( Hotstar ) . Irani joined BJP, was a Rajya Sabha MP, defeated Rahul Gandhi in the Lok Sabha elections from Amethi (2019) and became a senior, high profile, union minister. She has been one of the most recognized faces of the ruling party — until her defeat in the 2024 general elections. She has since then been on the sidelines of the political arena. Now, she will be hoping the soap opera that first made her the beloved bahu of the Hindi heartland will propel her to centre stage. Will it? Let's see. Also read: 'Wanted to be like Tulsi'—how Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi revived the joint family fantasy Now a leader on small screen Meanwhile, she's larger than life, dominating the new season of the Balaji series, with her mere, sheer presence – dwarfing all the other characters, literally and by her screen time. Producer Ektaa Kapoor's Kyunki…, in its second coming, still is all about family—as it was in the first season – but now it is very much Tulsi's family, less the Viranis. This may change as and if the soap has a long run, but for now Tulsi and her beloved tulsi plant in Shanti Niketan's courtyard with 'Thakurji's' blessings, command the audience's attention. The others live in her shadow and under her watchful, loving eye. Husband Mihir tries valiantly to assert his authority when he thinks her `zid' gets the better of her judgement but he ends up as he did before – looking boyish and years younger than her. His youthfulness is compared constantly with Tulsi's puffiness around the eyes, and her size – these are recurring themes of the first week's episodes. From the opening sequence when she sees her reflection in the mirror (in contrast to 25 years ago when she came as a new bride to the Virani home), to the weighing machine recording 80+ kg for her and a younger woman being mistaken for Mihir's wife, the physical changes in Tulsi-Smriti Irani are frankly acknowledged. As Tulsi says to Mihir, '…You are the handsome Papa, me a golgappa…' Refreshing to watch a leading character readily admit to her weight problem. Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thhi was the original 'saas-bahu' TV drama after its debut in 2000. Series that followed, imitated its style and content. Current TV shows remain faithful to it: they focus on the family, saas-bahu clashes, old versus the young, love, hate and the enduring importance of the Hindu value system. Is Kyunki… 2025 a continuation of Kyunki… 2000-2008? No. Or, only to the extent that some principal characters return: Tulsi, Mihir, the aunts Daksha and Gayatri, Gayatri's son Hemant, son Karan and daughter-in-law are played by the same actors as before. Also read: Tulsi 2.0 is dealing with wrinkles, weight gain. Indian TV serials are finally getting real What's cooking plot-wise? The story is totally new. When we left Tulsi, she was a grandmotherly greying lady. In the last scene, she confronts her old friend Parvati Agarwal (Parvati of Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii) and learns that her missing grandson, Parth, who had inherited grandmother Baa's fortune, was with Parvati all the time. On this cliffhanger, the series teetered to its inconclusive conclusion. There is no Parvati or Parth in the new season, so far – and Tulsi has acquired black hair. Also, back then, a shaggy, unsteady Mihir (played by Ronit Roy) had periodic amnesia. Now, Baa is seen in flashbacks, so is Tulsi's ma-in-law, Savita – she appears as a ghost, chatting to Tulsi like old times. Amar Upadhyay's Mihir is liveliness personified as he serenades Tulsi on their 38th wedding anniversary at the start of the new season. And they've acquired three new children – Pari, Angad, and Ritik — offspring of Tulsi's late sister. Their non-biological status as Viranis is another theme, largely because of the wicked aunt Gayatri, who mentions their adopted status to embarrass Tulsi when Angad is wrongly arrested for a car crash that injured a pedestrian. The plot line of the first seven episodes was largely devoted to the crash, particularly Tulsi's reactions of grief, with scenes where she cries and collapses. There's also her anger against her son – she thrashes him with a broom. Yes, a jhadu. Large parts of episodes are devoted to her dilemma—to bail or not to bail out Angad. Here, Kyunki… tackles a topical issue: Hit and run cases involving the sons of rich businessmen. The other plot concerns Pari's 'affair'' that is discovered when Mihir wants her to marry a colleague's son. These events enrage Mihir who brings up another theme of the new season: Parenthood and in particular, a mother's responsibilities. He scolds Tulsi for the upbringing —'parvarish' – of Pari and Angad and the cunning Gayatri nastily mentions this whenever she can. In contrast, Tulsi's role as the primary caregiver of the entire family and the binding force of the family is continually acknowledged by Hemant, Pari, and Angad besides Mihir—when he's not annoyed with her. Also read: Indian bahu Tulsi Virani vs BJP leader Smriti Irani—audience has a clear favourite Tulsi prays to tulsi A rather awkward subplot introduces us to Tulsi's successor- Vrinda. The daughter of a policeman who erases CCTV footage showing the real culprit of the car accident, in exchange for a bribe to pay for his mother's hip injury, Vrinda will be Tulsi's 'hand of god' and the true inheritor of her legacy. Whenever Tulsi is in need, or appeals to her tulsi tree and Thakurji for help, the series' theme music plays and Vrinda steps in. Such supernatural interventions are commonplace to the series—an avowal of how Tulsi's complete faith in God is rewarded. Tulsi speaks to her tulsi and Thakurji, frequently. In fact, her internal monologues are at the heart of the serial. Frankly? She talks too much. Just as Mihir's praise of his wife, her qualities, her selfless acts would give sugar diabetes. That's how saccharine sweet it is. Also read: Tulsi returns to protect modern Indian family from rising social media, falling sanskar Still relatable? Two questions. Is Smriti Irani convincing as Tulsi and able to overcome her public profile as a politician who was constantly in the news? Second, will Kyunki… succeed with a new generation of viewers? Well, it will certainly be watched by those who followed it from 2000 to 2008 – it has nostalgia for us, reminds us of earlier, less divisive times when family values, a joint family were the bedrock of Hindu society. It should be a hit with audiences in smaller cities where the family ties are still very strong. But in urbanised, nuclear cities, its charm may elude aspiring young people trying to build independent lives. As for Smriti-Tulsi, it's difficult to watch a VPP – very public personality – who is strong, individualistic, assertive and dynamic, spending the entire time only looking after her family—her pleading with a police constable at the police station is very awkward. It's odd to see her cry so much, and beseech the powers that be to come to her rescue. Smriti would give Tulsi a tight slap and tell her to get up off the floor and deal with it. The author tweets @shailajabajpai. Views are personal.