Fadnavis Takes Swipe At Raut, Calls Congress A ‘Sinking Ship’
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday mocked Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut over his recent remarks suggesting that Sharad Pawar’s NCP faction and other splinter groups should merge with the Congress.
Reacting to Raut’s comments, Fadnavis used the Hindi phrase “Begaani shaadi mein Abdullah deewana” to suggest that the Sena UBT leader was interfering in matters that did not concern him.
“The person who is talking the most about the merger of other smaller parties with the Congress Party is someone who has nothing to do with the Congress or with those other smaller parties,” Fadnavis said.
The remarks came days after Raut urged NCP-SP chief Sharad Pawar to take the lead in bringing parties that had broken away from the Congress back into the fold of the Grand Old Party.
Responding to speculation over the possibility of parties such as the Trinamool Congress and NCP-SP moving closer to the Congress, Fadnavis said experienced political leaders would avoid aligning with a party that he described as being in decline.
“Congress is a sinking ship. These are smart leaders. They won’t board a sinking ship,” the chief minister said.
Fadnavis further claimed that even if such a merger were to take place, it would ultimately benefit the BJP politically. He, however, declined to comment further, saying his party was closely monitoring the developments.
The remarks come amid growing political speculation over the future of the Sharad Pawar-led NCP faction. According to sources, Pawar may be considering a merger with the Congress as a way to prevent further defections within his party.
Sources indicate that some MPs from the NCP-SP have reportedly grown closer to the BJP, prompting concerns about possible desertions. A merger with the Congress, according to political observers, could help consolidate the opposition space and contain internal dissent.
Adding to the speculation, senior Maharashtra Congress leader Nana Patole recently claimed that a proposal for a merger had already been discussed between the Congress and Sharad Pawar’s party.
“The proposal from the NCP, from Pawar Saheb, had already been given earlier but got delayed due to some reasons. But I feel that with whatever is happening in the country’s politics right now, to stop the large-scale division of votes, all parties that have secular, pluralistic ideologies should unite,” Patole told reporters.
Earlier, NCP-SP leader Supriya Sule had described Raut’s suggestion as a “good proposal” but stopped short of endorsing it outright.
“Let it rain first, then we’ll see whether to take an umbrella or a raincoat,” Sule had said, offering a cryptic response while leaving the door open to future political developments.
With leaders across parties making carefully worded statements, speculation over a possible opposition realignment in Maharashtra continues to gather momentum.
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