Pawar didn’t bend before BJP: Shiv Sena

Mumbai : The ruling Shiv Sena on Wednesday lauded ally Nationalist Congress Party President Sharad Pawar for not “bending” before the Bharatiya Janata Party conspiring to prevent a Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government from coming to power in Maharashtra.
Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut said it was clear that the BJP had backstabbed the party (Sena) by trying to hatch a conspiracy with Pawar, but the BJP’s policy of ‘Saam, Daam, Dand, Bhed’ failed miserably, and the NCP chief didn’t fall for it.
“However, Pawar didn’t bend before the BJP. He has himself come clear on the kind of ‘offers’ made by the BJP to lure the NCP and keep the Sena out of power,” Raut said.
It may be recalled that a couple of days ago, Pawar said in an interview with a (private Marathi) TV channel that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had offered the NCP an alliance with the BJP and become a part of the government, both in Maharashtra and at the center.
The PM told Pawar to make a BJP-NCP government in Maharashtra since the country needed his immense experience, but neither Pawar fell for it nor the Congress in Maharashtra, said Raut, adding that since “we had the numbers, they made the offers”.
“During the poll campaign, the BJP President and Union Home Minister Amit Shah had asked: “what has Pawar done for Maharashtra? ‘to which Pawar replied in his own style by getting 54 MLAs elected. It has taken over five years for Modi-Shah to realize that Pawar’s experience can be utilized for the country,” Raut said.