THANE: Several netas switching loyalties seems to have become the latest conflict point between leaders of the NCP and Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde in Thane.
The latest tiff between the party leaders at the local level was triggered Wednesday following Sena spokesperson Naresh Mhaske questioning the moral ground on which the NCP was observing ‘traitor’s day.’ Mhaske said Sharad Pawar had himself set the trend of rebellion after he rebelled against his own parent party and formed the NCP several years back.
It may be recalled the Thane NCP leaders had staged a demonstration condemning the ‘rebellion’ by chief minister Eknath Shinde last year which eventually led to the downfall of the MVA government last year.
“The NCP must introspect as the party itself was carved out after its chief (Sharad Pawar) rebelled against the Congress. If the party has accommodated so many leaders from other organisations how can they claim others as ‘traitors’ and stage demonstration,” questioned Mhaske.
NCP Thane president Anand Paranjape retaliated on Thursday claiming that the Sena (Shinde) should first look into their own team and questioned the core loyalty of several cabinet ministers and even prominent leaders from Thane city who had switched over from other parties to join Sena and subsequently Shinde. “The Sena seems to have forgotten that leaders like Pratap Sarnaik, Ravi Phatak, Deepak Kesarkar, among others were originally from other parties before they switched loyalties,” said Paranjape.
Meanwhile, Paranjape also offered to send a biography of Pawar to Mhaske claiming reading it could help his political knowledge. “Mhaske must realise that the number of years Pawar saab spent in public life is more than his (Mhaske) age.”
