Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole on Saturday hit back at Ajit Pawar, saying the NCP leader s꧒ꦬhould have quit the government led by Congress' Prithviraj Chavan in 2010-14 itself if he was unhappy.
He also appeared making light of Ajit Pawar's rem💃arks that he would "100 per cent like to be the chief minister", saying if the NCP leader has a majority of 145 MLAs, then he must become the CM.
The Congress is a 𝓡constituent in the Maha Vikas Aghadi along with Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balas꧋aheb Thackeray), and the Nationalist Congress Party.
"Ajit Pawar was in the government led by Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan from 2010 to 2014. Why did he take the oath as a minister if he was helpless? Prithviraj Chavan is our leader and it is not expected that Ajit Paw💧ar will say this about him.
"If Ajit Pawar was unhappy in the Congress-NCP government, he should have left that 🅘time itself,&🔯quot; Patole told reporters.
Ajit Pawar had seꦫrved as deputy CM from November 2010 to September 2014 when Prithviraj Chavan was chief minister.
During his interview with the Sakal Media Group in Pun🎉e on Friday, Ajit Pawar was asked whether he liked working with Congress chief minister Prithviraj Chavan or Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray, who occupied the post from November 2019 to June 2022. To which, the NCP leader replied they worked "happily" with Thackeray, but working with Chavan was not by choice but as per the directions of seniors.
Queried on Ajit Pawar's statement regarding the post of the chief minister, Patole said it is noth෴ing wrong if a politician is nursing ambitions to lead the stateไ.
"If Ajit Pawar has a majority of 145 MLAs (out of 288 in Ma💟harashtra Assembly), then he must become the chief minister,'' Patole said.
Amid speculation over his next political move, Ajit on Friday said NCP can stake a claim to the post of Mꦜaharashtra's chief minister "now also" instead of waiting for 2024 when Assembly polls are due in the state.
-With PTI Input
