We needn't go to Delhi seeking nod before inducting leaders: Ajit Pawar

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: NCP president and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar's cryptic remark on expanding the party has raised eyebrows.

Addressing a conclave of NCP workers in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar on Tuesday, Pawar said it is the NCP's prerogative who to induct into the party.

"We need not go to Delhi and ask someone about whom to induct in the party," he said while welcoming former Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and ex-MLA Shivajirao Chothe in the Nationalist Congress Party.

Amid concerns over a potential rift in communities following the Maratha quota GR, Pawar has appealed to politicians to ensure that social harmony is maintained.

"The government is committed to resolving issues while ensuring that injustice is not done to anyone. Everybody, including political leaders, can raise their demands in a democracy," Pawar said.

His remarks come amid strong opposition from OBCs to a Government Resolution (GR) issued by the state government on September 2 regarding the implementation of the Hyderabad gazette for members of the Maratha community who can prove their Kunbi antecedents.

"The government is taking care that demands fit in the legal framework. We have to follow the guidelines of the Supreme Court," he said.

Without taking names, the NCP leader stated that no one should create differences in communities.

Pawar said newcomers joining the NCP and old-timers need not worry.