'Joined Ajit Pawar's camp because...,' rebel NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal responds to Sharad Pawar

livemint.com:

Sharad Pawar's frequent flip-flops in his political dealings as the reason for leaving the side of NCP's patriarch. Bhujbal claimed 45 of the 53 NCP MLAs have gone with Ajit Pawar and said, "What would have I done by remaining outside." In an interaction with media, Bhujbal said Sharad Pawar announced support to the BJP in 2014 after it formed government following the Assembly polls without the Shiv Sena's backing. "That time I wondered and said we are in the Opposition.

In 2017 also, when I was in jail, five leaders from the NCP and five leaders from the BJP discussed about NCP's induction in the government. That time, the BJP was told to drop its ally Shiv Sena to pave the way for a BJP-NCP government. Then also he (Pawar senior) backtracked," he claimed.

When asked why he doid not inform Sharad Pawar thta he was going to be sworn-in as minister on 2 July, Bhujbal said, "Sharad Pawar never tells when he resigns or takes his resignation back. He never says when he discusses things with the BJP in Delhi...so why I should I tell him what I was going to do...45 NCP MLAs were present there....Am I sipposed to keep fighting al the time?" Asked whether he has changed his ideology, from being a follower of social reformers like Mahatma Phule to now aligning with Hindutva forces, Bhujbal said they have not merged with the BJP. "Nitish Kumar (Bihar CM) was with them (BJP), he left...Mamata Banerjee was there (in BJP-led NDA), she came out.

Though we have aligned with them, we have not left our ideology," he said. The rebel NCP leader said some months ago a similar decision was taken to go with the BJP, but the move was abruptly rescinded. "How long this sort of inconsistent stand will go on? How much credibility will remain (if