Refuting speculations about ghar wapsi, NCP leader Praful Patel said the new BJP was more inclusive, and that it did not want to tear the social fabric. He denied that Ajit Pawar was uncomfortable in the Mahayuti alliance and said the party would expect a respectable treatment and share even after the Maharashtra Vidhan Sabha elections, to be held on November 20. He was speaking at The Hindu Poll Arena, the newspaper’s maiden election conclave, held at Rangaswar hall at the Yashwant Chavan Auditorium in Mumbai on Wednesday.
Insisting that the party’s belief in ‘Shahu-Phule-Ambedkar’ ideology was not compromised by coming with the BJP, which believed in ‘Hindutva’, he said that even the RSS’ stance had changed in the last few years to make India an economic powerhouse.
Mr. Patel said the party would stand by the candidature of Nawab Malik, who faced stiff opposition from the BJP, which said on record that it would not campaign for someone who allegedly had links with underworld don Dawood. “We believe that one is innocent until proven guilty. Let the courts take a decision on it,” he said.
‘Fake narrative’
The NCP leader denied the impact of Lok Sabha election results in Maharashtra now, saying that the issues which had dominated the discourse then were ‘fake narrative’. “Lok Sabha was a different animal. Vidhan Sabha will be a settled election. People will not get swayed,” Mr. Patel said, adding that he was happy that Maratha activist Manoj Jarange-Patil was not contesting the coming election.
Talking of Mission Baramati, he claimed that the Pawar bastion would stand by Mr. Ajit Pawar this time, and that his party would perform better against the NCP SP. He claimed that the recent Lok Sabha election was an emotional one, but that would not be the case this time. “Baramati would not be an issue in this election. Previous election was emotional. As always, Dada will have the support of Baramati. There would be some close contests. But let me assure you, Mahayuti government will make it without the support of anybody. The strike rate will be good. Across Maharashtra, we will have a similar strike rate,” he said.
Speaking about the support to progressive ideology and whether it created any clash with the Hindutva ideology, Mr. Patel said, “We believe in Shahu-Phule-Ambedkar. And please understand that the BJP has changed now. Narendra Modi has been the Prime Minister for the last 10 years — the first time that the Prime Minister is from the OBC community. The government schemes are inclusive. There have been no riots in the last few years. This is the new BJP. Even the RSS and Mohan Bhagwat have been making encouraging statements. The crux is that the economy must be strong. So, we need economic development. Let us understand that the BJP too won’t like a social divide. The fabric of the nation is very important for social development. I am very happy that many suggestions are being happily accepted by the BJP,” he said.
Published - November 06, 2024 10:29 pm IST
