Ajit Pawar Mislead Party Workers, NCP Will Take Action Against Him, Assures Sharad Pawar

Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar on Monday launched a scathing attack against Ajit Pawar and said Ajit mislead the party workers and NCP will take stern action against him. Sharad Pawar was speaking at Mumbai's Grand Hyatt during the NCP-Congress-Shiv Sena's show of strength. Ajit Pawar recently joined hands with the BJP and took oath as Maharashtra deputy chief minister.

Pawar also said that all the three parties will form the government in Maharashtra democratically.

Speaking at the Grand Hyatt hotel, Pawar said, "There will be no problem in proving our majority. The one who is suspended from the party cannot give any orders. On the day of the floor test, I will bring more than 162 MLAs." Personifying his personality of a 'Maratha Warrior', Pawar said, "This is not Goa, this is Maharashtra."

"We are here together for people of Maharashtra. A government was formed in the state without a majority. Karnataka, Goa and Manipur, BJP didn't have majority anywhere but formed government," the NCP chief added.

This wasn’t a “political fashion show” but certainly one unlike any other Maharashtra has seen. The luxury hotel in suburban Mumbai, host to many fashion shows, including the biggest one in the country, on Monday saw the “parade” of Shiv Sena-NCP and Congress MLAs.

The event came a day before the Supreme Court passes an order on the issue of floor test for the Maharashtra government led by Devendra Fadnavis whose swearing-in has been challenged by Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress combine.

NCP chief Sharad Pawar, Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray and senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge were among those present during the show of strength aimed at making a public statement that the three parties hold the real mandate to govern the state.

The Sena and Congress MLAs arrived at the hotel shortly before 7 pm by various buses arranged by their parties. NCP MLAs were shifted there earlier from another hotel.

Even as the “parade” of MLAs was in progress in the hotel, supporters of these parties gathered outside shouted slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.