Ajit Pawar's Corruption Charge Against BJP, Then Ally's "Difficulties" Warning

Adding a new layer of complexity to an already knotty web of alliances in Maharashtra, NCP leader Ajit Pawar has launched a volley against coalition partner BJP, accusing it of corruption in a civic body and implying that it is displaying arrogance in power.

The NCP, BJP and Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena are part of the ruling Mahayuti alliance in the state and Pawar and Shinde serve as deputy chief ministers to BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis. The NCP has, however, been kept out of the alliance in several municipal corporations, including the all-important Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, going to the polls on January 15, and has tied up with the Sharad Pawar faction of the party in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad.

Ajit Pawar and several MLAs had walked out of the NCP, founded by his uncle, Sharad Pawar, in 2023, and formed a new party, joining the then Eknath Shinde-led government in Maharashtra. The Pawars had also fought a bitter battle for the NCP name and symbol, with the nephew triumphing in the end.

Addressing a press conference in Pimpri-Chinchwad near Pune on Friday, Ajit Pawar alleged that the corporation in the city, where the BJP was in power between 2017 and 2022, had been riddled with corruption for nine years, leading to mounting debts.

In a reference to the BJP, the NCP chief said some had accused him of a Rs 70,000 crore irrigation scam.

"Everybody knows that allegations of a Rs 70,000-crore irrigation scam were made against me. Today, I am in power alongside those who made those allegations. Can a person be labelled guilty even before it is proved?" Pawar asked.

Going on to make allegations of his own, he said the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation was infested by "gangs of looters".

"Irregularities have been taking place in the name of various projects, such as the Mula river cleaning project. There is a lack of transparency in the functioning of the civic body. Since there is no fear of state leadership, gangs of looters have come into existence, and to burn this monster in the form of corruption, we have come into the poll arena," the NCP chief was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

Tightening the screws, he said the Congress-NCP alliance, when it was in power, did not allow itself to be arrogant.

"There is an arrogance of power (now)," he said.

BJP's Warning

Hitting back, the BJP called on Pawar to introspect and warned that the party could create serious difficulties for him if it decided to level allegations too.

"Ajit Pawar made this statement in the backdrop of the upcoming elections. He should first introspect before making allegations. He needs to clarify which party he is speaking about. Is the statement meant for the party that is under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi?" Maharashtra BJP president Ravindra Chavan asked.

"Ajit dada is a good leader. He is associated with us in the Centre and Maharashtra. However, in this election, the sand beneath their feet is slipping. I will ask which agency gave him the inputs to make these allegations," he jeered.

(With inputs from PTI)