Pawar supportive of Mamata's aim to cobble up a non-Congress alliance: Fadnavis

Their intent is to keep the grand old party aside, he says

Devendra Fadnavis

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s Mumbai visit had a pure political agenda which was to stitch up an alliance of non-Congress parties, said former Chief Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Devendra Fadnavis while claiming that Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar, the Congress’ ally in Maharashtra, was supportive of Ms. Banerjee’s aims.

Speaking in Mumbai on Thursday, Mr. Fadnavis further said that any strategy chalked up by non-BJP parties would have no effect on the BJP as Prime Minister Narendra Modi would again emerge triumphant in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

“Meeting industrialists was merely a cover for Mamata

Didi ’s visit. As it becomes obvious that 2024 too will go Prime Minister Modi’s way, the other parties are indulging in these political manoeuvrings… While Mamata

Didi speaks directly, Mr. Pawar speaks between the lines. But their intent is the same which is to keep the Congress aside, and Mr. Pawar agrees with Ms. Banerjee’s views on this,” the BJP leader said.

Mr. Pawar's NCP shares power with Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena and the Congress in the tripartite Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) Government in Maharashtra.

Mr. Fadnavis said that the Congress had strongly objected to Ms. Banerjee’s maneuverings and had responded by stating that any opposition to the BJP at the Centre was not possible without them.

“The Trinamool Congress [TMC] have openly said that they are the ‘real’ Congress now and that the old Congress is irrelevant…that is the reason why Mamata Banerjee is contesting in Goa and the northeastern States because she wants to project Trinamool as the principal opposition instead of the Congress. Mr. Pawar supports the Trinamool’s opinions. But he had no alternative in Maharashtra as the political situation did not favour him and hence, he had to take the Congress along [to form the MVA Government],” said the BJP Leader of Opposition.

Mr. Fadnavis further remarked that it did not matter in the least whether Ms. Banerjee held a ‘secret meeting’ with the Sena or a public meeting with the BJP’s estranged saffron partner.

“The Shiv Sena barely won 56 seats in the 2019 Assembly election, while we won 105. The real face of the Sena is now exposed as they are forced into an alliance with ‘anti-Hindutva’ parties [Congress and the NCP] to seek votes,” he said.