Eknath Shinde can no longer claim moral high ground to justify political coup: Sharad Pawar's NCP

Even as the ‘Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis-Ajit Pawar’ government undertook the complex task of portfolio allocation, the Sharad Pawar-led NCP said the chief minister had lost the moral high ground to justify the political coup against Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray.

Commenting on the situation, NCP chief spokesperson Mahesh Tapase stated that Chief Minister Shinde could no longer claim the moral high ground to justify his political coup.

With Ajit Pawar now serving as his deputy and assuming control of the Finance department, Tapase remarked that the circumstances which were surrounding the coup orchestrated by Shinde have drastically changed.

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The NCP leader further asserted that the BJP's agenda to destabilize the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) Government was successfully executed, with Chief Minister Shinde unwittingly playing into its hands.

Tapase asked whether the Shinde Sena MLAs would still go to Ajit Pawar or maintain silence in the public domain.

“It is worth noting that Shinde orchestrated a political upheaval within the MVA government last year, leading to the defection of 40 MLAs from the Shiv Sena. At the time, Shinde had accused Ajit Pawar of demonstrating partisan behaviour towards the Sena MLAs and failing to distribute resources equitably,” he said.

Tapase said one particular aspect that caught the public's imagination was the waiting period endured by Ajit Pawar of the NCP, who recently joined forces with Devendra Fadnavis of the BJP. “Ajit Pawar had to patiently wait for twelve days before being assigned the crucial Finance and Planning portfolio. This delay has sparked discussions regarding the dynamics within the ruling coalition,” he said.