Not invited to meet, Miffed BJP workers wave black flags at Ajit Pawar in Pune

PUNE: Deputy CM Ajit Pawar on Sunday faced protests from BJP workers in Narayangaon during his visit to the town for NCP‘s Jan Sanman Yatra.
They waved black flags and raised slogans against the NCP leader for not inviting local Mahayuti alliance partners for a review meeting on several development projects related to local tourism. Junnar was declared Maharashtra’s first ‘special tourism zone’ by the state govt in 2018.
BJP workers claimed that Ajit Pawar, who is also guardian minister of Pune district, called the administrative officer for a meeting on Sunday morning. Local NCP workers were also invited to the meeting, but nobody from BJP received the invitation despite being part of the Mahayuti alliance.
Former zilla parishad chairman Asha Buchake said local NCP workers had put up banners at the meeting venue which had no photographs of CM Eknath Shinde and deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis. Only Ajit Pawar and Junnar MLA Atul Benke’s photos were on the banners. “It was a govt meeting and not of any political party, hence we should have been invited as we have been following up several projects for our region with the CM and deputy CM for years. He (Ajit Pawar) should clarify why NCP put up banners with the party name,” Buchake said. She added that earlier, Pawar held similar meetings for development projects of Junnar, and only selective people were invited.
NCP spokesperson Amol Mitkari said Fadnavis should clarify whether he wants the Mahayuti alliance to continue in the state. “The deputy CM should immediately clarify his stand on whether it (BJP) wants to contest the assembly election as Mahayuti alliance and whether he has given a free hand to his party workers to do anything across the state. It was not a political event, and it was an event organised by NCP,” he said while interacting with mediapersons in Akola. Ajit Pawar later addressed a gathering in Narayangaon as part of ‘Jan Sanman Yatra’.
The Pune rural police confirmed that at least 30 to 35 people were detained from the protest venue in Narayangaon, and were later released.
Santosh Khaire, Junnar taluka president of BJP, said, “Sarpanch of several villages who were supporting NCP were invited to the meeting, but nobody from the BJP was called.”