Central agencies being misused in Maharashtra, West Bengal: Sharad Pawar hits out at BJP

`It is clear those who are ruling the country wanted power in these two states at any cost,` the NCP chief said.

New Delhi: Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on Friday (April 15, 2022) launched an attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and said that the central probe agencies were being used in a big way in Maharashtra and West Bengal as those "who are ruling the country wanted power in these two states at any cost".

He also hinted that the Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress, which form the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi, intend to face the next state Assembly elections, scheduled for late 2024, together.

"Central agencies are being used on a big scale in two states of the country. One is West Bengal and the other is Maharashtra. It is clear those who are ruling the country wanted power in these two states at any cost," Pawar said.

He said people, as well as elected representatives from the two states, did not "cooperate" with the BJP in its bid to form governments, so those whose expectations were dashed are busy interfering in these two states, resulting in raids being carried out.

Pawar was responding to a question about the comment of party colleague Eknath Khadse on how the situation in Maharashtra would have been different, in terms of probe agency raids etc, if some BJP leaders would have been jailed for alleged irregularities.

The 81-year-old also said that recent statements about loudspeakers in mosques by parties like Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and BJP could vitiate the atmosphere in the state.

He added that the people of the state must stand united to ensure communal harmony.

Responding to a question, Pawar said MNS chief Raj Thackeray, going by his recent speeches and statements, may be treading the path of Hindutva, but then went on add that one need not speak about a party that had been rejected soundly by people in polls.

With an electricity crisis looming in the state, Pawar said the MVA government was very serious about the issue and was taking all steps to resolve it.

On the electricity crisis, he said, apart from Maharashtra, states like Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh were also facing coal shortages, adding that Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray was very serious about the issue and aimed to give relief to people soon.

(With agency inputs)