There is something else that hurts Sharad Pawar more, says Devendra Fadnavis

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday took a swipe at Sharad Pawar, saying that there was "something else" that was hurting more to the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president. Fadnavis made the comment in the wake of Pawar's criticism of the BJP, in which he accused it of finishing off its regional allies gradually. Pawar also said that the BJP was planning to weaken the Shiv Sena and create a division in the party.

"There is something else that hurts Pawar more. Everyone knows it," Fadnavis told reporters in Thane.

Pawar's party was a constituent of the previous Shiv Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in Maharashtra, which collapsed in June this year following a revolt by Sena MLA Eknath Shinde and 39 other legislators.


Fadnavis said, "In the last Bihar Assembly elections, the BJP had won more seats that the JD(U), but still Nitish Kumar was made chief minister. It is the BJP that takes care of its allies."

"If we are not in power in Bihar (now), we would be there tomorrow for sure," he added.

JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar on Wednesday took oath as Bihar chief minister for the eighth time, while RJD's Tejashwi Yadav was administered the oath of office as deputy chief minister. The ceremony took place a day after Kumar snapped ties with the BJP-led NDA and joined hands with the RJD to form a 'Mahagathbandhan' government.

On the expansion of the Shinde-led cabinet in Maharashtra, Fadnavis said, "There has already been a lot of speculation about the cabinet expansion in media already. But the speculation is going to be completely false. Once the portfolios are allocated, you will realise it."

A day earlier, CM Shinde expanded his cabinet, 41 days after taking the oath of office. A total of 18 MLAs, including nine each from the Shinde faction of Shiv Sena and the BJP, took oath as the cabinet ministers.