Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, and his deputy, Ajit Pawar, are the “political Agniveers” who will be laid off in three months, Congress leader and AICC in-charge of Maharashtra Ramesh Chennithala said.
“Both Mr. Shinde and Mr. Ajit Pawar, who backstabbed their mentors – Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar – are the ‘political Agniveers’, as their tenure is short-lived without job security akin to the Agniveers recruited [to the armed forces] by the current government. Both leaders will be laid off in the next three months, not by any specific leader or party but by the electorate of Maharashtra,” he said in an interview with The Hindu.
The 67-year-old former Kerala Home Minister said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remark, referring to NCP supremo Sharad Pawar as a “wandering soul”, did not sit well with the people of Maharashtra, especially the Maratha community. “He [Mr. Modi] should refrain from such derogatory language, regardless of political differences. Mr. Sharad Pawar is still alive and labelling him as a ‘wandering soul’ is disrespectful, especially considering the PM’s previous acknowledgment of him as a political guru. It appears that Mr. Modi is becoming increasingly agitated, possibly due to the realisation that his return to power is uncertain, and is hence making such remarks,” he said.
