'We are no saints to sit in opposition': NCP's Ajit Pawar on joining hands with BJP

Pune: Justifying his decision to join hands with the BJP, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Ajit Pawar on Tuesday said he and his colleagues were not "saints" who could remain in the opposition and be content with protesting and shouting slogans.

Speaking at an event here to mark the 26th Foundation Day of the undivided NCP, Ajit, currently Maharashtra deputy chief minister, made no definitive statement about the possibility of reuniting with his estranged uncle Sharad Pawar's faction.

"The NCP was founded on the ideologies of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Mahatma Phule, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar and Rajarshi Shahu Maharaj. Some people question our decision to join hands with the BJP and the Mahayuti coalition," said Ajit, who parted ways with his uncle in 2023.

"But didn't we align with the Shiv Sena in 2019? Even then, compromises were made. Just sitting in the opposition, raising slogans and taking out protest marches is not enough. We are not saints. We are here to give a direction, address people's issues, and practice the politics of inclusion," he said.

The party did not form an alliance with the BJP at the cost of ideology, Ajit Pawar claimed.

"When we decided to join the NDA and Mahayuti in Maharashtra, we saw that leaders like Chandrababu Naidu, known for secular ideology, had also aligned with the NDA. In the past, leaders such as West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee were also part of the NDA. Our focus is development....We want the schemes of the Centre and state government to reach the last man in society, to improve the people's standard of living and ensure that no section of society feels excluded," he said.

On speculation surrounding a possible merger of the two NCP factions, Pawar said party workers may hold differing opinions, but the final decision rests with the leadership.

"It is the party leaders who deliberate and decide on such matters," he added.

A systematic campaign was underway to spread misinformation about fund distribution by his ministry, said Pawar who holds the finance portfolio in the BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP government.

"Compared to the previous budget, we have increased allocations for Scheduled Tribes," he said, referring to a row over alleged diversion of funds from the ST department for the Ladki Bahin scheme for women.

He also refuted rumours that the Ladki Bahin scheme, under which eligible women receive Rs 1500 per month, was being discontinued.