Editorial with Sujit Nair | Why Are Political Parties Distancing Themselves From Ajit Pawar? | NCP

[00:00:00] Namaskar! Welcome to another episode of Editorial. Have you heard of this American sitcom called Everybody Loves Raymond? Have you heard of that? You know, when it comes to Maharashtra politics, somehow in the case of Ajit Pawar, it is like nobody loves Ajit Pawar. That is the status in which Mr. Pawar is added.

[00:00:31] At the moment. And one wonders why. Let's talk about that. Let's get right into the show.

[00:00:40] So, this morning, I had an exclusive interview with this gentleman called Ramesh Channitala. For those who don't know Ramesh Channitala, Ramesh Channitala is a very senior leader in Kerala.

[00:00:53] And Ramesh Channitala is supervising Maharashtra election. He is the boss of Maharashtra election. He is the one who is literally along with, of course, Patole and Bala Sahib, Thorat and all that, running Maharashtra election.

[00:01:07] So, I met with him this morning and in my interview, amongst a lot of other questions that I asked him, I asked him about Ajit Pawar and asked him, you know, I heard Ajit Pawar may come back to Shavad Pawar and he said, Ajit Pawar, we don't want. He is not too interested in Ajit Pawar.

[00:01:25] Hear this out. This is what he had to say.

[00:01:27] Sir, do you think Ajit Pawar has been joining?

[00:01:30] I don't think. That is not good for Maharashtra. He was the most corrupt, which I didn't say, Narendra Modi said. Narendra Modi said he is the most corrupt leader in Maharashtra.

[00:01:51] He has been a corrupt man. He has been a corrupt man. He has been a corrupt man. He has been a corrupt man.

[00:01:54] When he joins PJP, his corruption has gone away. He is a washing machine.

[00:01:59] I wonder why are people so aversive of Ajit Pawar now? All of a sudden, Ajit Pawar in Maharashtra, let me tell you, has almost become a political outcast.

[00:02:12] He has almost become a political outcast. See, somewhere down the line, no political party wants to associate with him. No political party wants to connect with him. No political party wants to ally with him. So on and so forth. He has become a political outcast. He is there with Mahayuti.

[00:02:29] But then he is there. He literally, it looks as if Mahayuti is just tolerating him, lagging him. It is not that he is not treated as an equal partner. That is for sure.

[00:02:42] I will tell you the reason why. You see, he is a candidate. See, normally a party gets their own freedom to put up their candidate. They negotiate the seat, they negotiate the constituency and once the constituency is negotiated, the seat is negotiated and all of that number of seats and constituency and all are negotiated.

[00:03:04] Then it is left to the party who they want to be, you know, contesting that particular constituency. The party takes a call on that. But here in this case, no.

[00:03:15] Bharatiya Janata Party is nothing doing. You can't get Nawab Malik to stand. We don't want Nawab Malik to stand for the elections and we will not support Nawab Malik. We will not support Nawab Malik.

[00:03:26] Bharatiya Janata Party will not support Nawab Malik. Somewhere down the line, Ajit Pawar is not able to give answer to that.

[00:03:32] Ajit Pawar is not able to forcefully say that nothing doing. How can you stop? How can you stop me from putting my candidate?

[00:03:43] So, always, always he has been seen, he has not been seen as equal. The member of Shiva Sena, which is headed by Shinde Shiva Sena, part of the Yuti.

[00:03:56] In fact, he was a minister, not even a member, a minister in Shiva Sena, Mahayuti.

[00:04:05] Tanaji Savant went out and said that, listen, you know, after my meetings with Ajit Pawar and when Ajit Pawar and his team is there, I feel like puking, it seems.

[00:04:15] Can you believe it? A political ally, partner of Mahayuti saying that when I sit with my political ally, that is Ajit Pawar and NCP, I feel like puking.

[00:04:28] And Ajit Pawar had no choice but to listen to it. At least till now, it seems he has no choice but to listen to it.

[00:04:36] Well, there was some back and forth here and there but then that got under the bridge.

[00:04:42] You see, I have heard a lot of problems. I have heard a lot of parties throwing, you know, allies, partners, you know, throwing allegations and, you know, one of those one-liners on each other and all that.

[00:04:55] Yes, it is a good thing. But, you know, saying that I feel like puking and all, this Baba for the first time.

[00:05:02] You see, let us also understand Ajit Pawar.

[00:05:07] You see, Ajit Pawar very easily crosses the line and that emotional line which normally is practiced in Maharashtra politics.

[00:05:18] I believe, this is my personal opinion, that Ajit Pawar is possibly the only person who crosses that line far too many times.

[00:05:27] R.R. Patil is one of the most respected leaders in Maharashtra.

[00:05:32] R.R. Patil, late R.R. Patil, he passed away in 2015.

[00:05:37] R.R. Patil is revered in the area he comes from, that is Sangli, Tasgaon, etc.

[00:05:44] He is revered in that area.

[00:05:46] He is revered in Maharashtra and known to be one of the most honest politicians that Maharashtra saw.

[00:05:53] One among the most honest politicians that Maharashtra saw.

[00:05:58] Now, his son is standing for elections against, of course, he is standing with Sharad Pawar's NCP.

[00:06:04] He stood by Sharad Pawar.

[00:06:06] And, Ajit Pawar has his own candidate.

[00:06:10] And, Ajit Pawar went out in a public rally quite recently.

[00:06:15] Recently, I think it was the day before yesterday.

[00:06:17] Wherein he went out and said that, you know what?

[00:06:19] This entire thing, you know, this inquiry file of mine, this inquiry file of mine was actually signed by R.R. Patil.

[00:06:27] R.R. Patil, this to me, he stabbed me on my back.

[00:06:31] Why?

[00:06:31] Because he signed a file for the inquiry of irrigation scam.

[00:06:38] And, you know, who told me this?

[00:06:40] He said, you know, Mr. Devendra Patnavis, who then took over as the chief minister, saw the file, which was signed by the previous home minister, that is R.R. Patil, ordering for an inquiry.

[00:06:49] He saw the file, he called Ajit Pawar and he said, look, what is your file?

[00:06:54] How is this file?

[00:06:56] And, he said, I was very embarrassed.

[00:06:57] And, I was very sad.

[00:06:59] He said, I couldn't do anything.

[00:07:00] I didn't do anything.

[00:07:00] But, I was very sad.

[00:07:28] I was very sad.

[00:07:31] I was very sad.

[00:07:34] I was very sad.

[00:07:35] He said, I was very sad.

[00:07:36] I was very sad.

[00:07:41] If that file was signed, the file was signed.

[00:07:47] And, I was told to sign up on an inquiry.

[00:07:54] How is that?

[00:07:55] We have no idea.

[00:07:57] We are not.

[00:07:58] We have no idea.

[00:07:59] We have no idea.

[00:08:11] We are going to go to the government.

[00:08:51] three questions three questions first i ask you so what should an honest minister do

[00:09:01] if his colleague he thinks is due for an inquiry on a on a scam or or or an alleged scams here in

[00:09:10] this case an alleged scam if his colleague is due for inquiry what should an honest minister do

[00:09:15] he should shove the file under the carpet like most of the ministers does is that what an honest

[00:09:23] minister should do or the honest minister should go ahead and say baba if you feel you have to

[00:09:28] inquire please inquire investigation bodies you please do your job is that what a person has to do

[00:09:33] abba did that rr patil did that rr patil gave that file to the officers and said baba if you feel

[00:09:41] you need to investigate go ahead investigate so what if he belongs to ncp my own party number one

[00:09:49] number two whatever the case is is rr patil alive to to defend himself or or or give a counter is he

[00:10:00] alive he's no longer alive his son his son who is just a 25 year old boy who you know turned 25 this

[00:10:07] june i guess june or july and he got an opportunity to fight the elections because you need to be 25 to

[00:10:13] stand for to contest an election so he is the one who is fighting and to defeat him is what mr ajit

[00:10:21] power just said all this so what is he supposed to answer and finally and finally i am now very confused

[00:10:31] baba i am very confused so you are blaming a minister who said that listen if there is a scam if there is

[00:10:38] alleged scam then investigating bodies please go ahead and investigate i have nothing to say here is

[00:10:44] my i am leaving the post i am leaving with chair but here is my consent you please go ahead and

[00:10:48] investigate you are alleging you are blaming that particular minister versus a minister the chief

[00:10:53] minister according to mr ajit power i am not saying this ajit power is saying this according to mr ajit power

[00:10:59] the sitting chief minister gets this file or instead of telling the investigating officers and

[00:11:05] investigating what is that go ahead please investigate he says wait hang on hang on

[00:11:10] call the minister call that opposition political party mr ajit power and say you tell me you tell me

[00:11:21] which of this is correct what is this minister blaming who is this minister blaming and who exactly did the

[00:11:30] right thing rr party actually did the right thing and i am wondering how could a sitting chief minister and

[00:11:38] who was also the home minister take confidential files call people and say hey you have a file in my

[00:11:44] hand here you have a file in my hand here you have a investigation what kind of government was he running

[00:11:52] don't you think it's something that one should be one should be pondering on so that's ajit power ajit power you know like i said that emotional line as to where to draw that emotional line that was something that ajit power hardly understood you know once he went to a drought prone area and he said what what do i do if there is no water in the

[00:12:17] your dams should i urinate should i urinate incidentally manse that is our raj thakresk party

[00:12:25] they started ajit power urinal ajit power mutrale or whatever they called it ajit power urinal they

[00:12:34] started ajit power urinal so this is what ajit power was ajit power once had gone out and said in a meeting

[00:12:40] that listen if you don't vote for my sister then sister because you know they were together ncp was one

[00:12:45] and he was part of the larger ncp sharat power and he were united and he said if you don't vote for my

[00:12:51] sister that is supriya sule i will stop your water and everything here so no development for your

[00:12:55] village vote for my sister this also was recorded and it was shown it was controversial at that point

[00:13:01] in time it raised a lot of controversy but then we you know as voters we don't bother about all that end of

[00:13:06] the day we give him what he became and he became a deputy chief minister continues to become a deputy chief

[00:13:12] minister this is ajit power and now this ajit power nobody wants to kind of touch nobody wants to very

[00:13:20] go go very close to him okay the rss had a lot to say about ajit power the rss was very upset with

[00:13:27] bhartiya janata party because of ajit power they were very upset with bhartiya janata party because of ajit

[00:13:32] power in fact i was told that rss even recently said that do not give ajit power more than 20 seats

[00:13:38] do not give him more than 20 seats because if you give them more than 20 seats we will not help you

[00:13:42] but then i don't know whether that is still on or they they've they've they've kind of uh they've kind

[00:13:48] of tied over it or whatever but the fact is that is what was said now currently ajit power has 51 odd seats

[00:13:55] to to contest he had bought along 40 plus mlas with him when he came to mahayuti and he was given

[00:14:03] 51 seats to contest so it is not that and he is the smallest amongst the three factions of mahayuti the

[00:14:10] largest being bhartiya janata party second being uh shiva sena which is headed by ikna shinde and the

[00:14:16] smallest of the three is ajit power technically speaking the number of mlas that uh shinde bought

[00:14:26] and the number of mlas that ajit power bought were the same in fact ajit power technically bought more

[00:14:31] emilies to the uh to the mahayuti then shinde this is the math but end of the day he is now relegated to

[00:14:40] number three this is the ajit power story before i end this story let me tell you one line you see

[00:14:49] you never know when fate smiles at a person ajit power is fighting on 51 seats lot of people say that

[00:15:01] he may end up getting 2022 23 seats a lot of people say that if he ends up getting 2022 23 seats then that

[00:15:09] 22 23 seats is going to be very vital in the kind of battle that's happening in maharashtra it's a very

[00:15:17] tough battle between mahavikaz agadi and mahayuti so this 20 21 25 seats know if he gets if he gets if

[00:15:25] he gets i'm not very sure if he gets this 25 seats may be very vital uh for for this entire maharashtra

[00:15:32] elections uh both for mahavikaz agadi and mahayuti and you never know with all this what he said what he

[00:15:40] did what he does and the way luck always shines at him there could be a chance where all these people

[00:15:48] who are currently outcasting him politically outcasting him could be outside his house

[00:15:53] standing in the line for his appointment and to make him his partner this could also happen in

[00:16:02] politics this is my point till i see you that is day after tomorrow at 10 namaskar stay ahead with our

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