In a fresh political twist amid Maharashtra’s ongoing election season, Jayant Patil, the NCP (Sharad Pawar) state unit chief, has accused Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis of blackmailing Ajit Pawar over the alleged Rs 70,000 crore irrigation scam. The allegations stem from recent claims by Ajit Pawar that Fadnavis, as Chief Minister in 2014, presented him with a file signed by former Home Minister R.R. Patil, recommending an open inquiry into his involvement in the irrigation case.
In an interview with The Indian Express, Jayant Patil accused Fadnavis of exploiting the inquiry to create internal divisions within the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) over the last decade. “You [Fadnavis] made an allegation against Ajit Pawar while in opposition, probed him after coming to power, and showed him the file accusing R.R. Patil. This clearly indicates that efforts to fuel infighting in our party have been ongoing for years,” Patil stated. He further alleged that by revealing the file to Ajit Pawar, Fadnavis had “blackmailed” him, suggesting that this may have contributed to Pawar’s periodic inclinations towards an alliance with the BJP.
Patil believes that the recent statements by Ajit Pawar, rather than strengthening his position, have inadvertently cornered him while exposing Fadnavis’s methods. “Ajit Pawar’s statement has put Devendra Fadnavis in bigger trouble by exposing his operating style and their relationship over the last ten years,” Patil commented. “It would make sense if Fadnavis showed the file to the Leader of the Opposition, but Ajit Pawar was just an MLA at that time. Why would he show it to him?” he questioned.
At a recent rally in Sangli’s Tasgaon Assembly constituency, Ajit Pawar claimed that after the BJP’s victory in the 2014 Assembly elections, Fadnavis, newly appointed as Chief Minister, presented him with the file in question. Pawar asserted that the file bore former Home Minister R.R. Patil’s signature, authorizing an open inquiry into the allegations by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB).
In response, Jayant Patil criticized Pawar’s remarks, particularly his decision to bring up R.R. Patil’s involvement years after the latter’s passing. “It’s wrong to bring up allegations against someone who can no longer defend themselves. R.R. Patil was not alive when the party eventually split. Ajit Pawar speaking about him now, nine years later, shows he has no qualms about bringing anyone’s name into controversy,” Patil asserted.
As these revelations and accusations unfold, they shed light on the tense and complex dynamics between the BJP and the NCP factions, as well as the history of political maneuvering within Maharashtra’s coalition government. The exchanges have sparked questions about Ajit Pawar’s motivations and Fadnavis’s tactics, adding new layers to Maharashtra’s already contentious political landscape just weeks before the assembly elections.