‘Can’t stand it!’: Shiv Sena minister says sitting next to Ajit Pawar ‘makes him vomit’, NCP hits back

The remarks by Cabinet minister Tanaji Sawant has triggered a war of words among partners of the Mahayuti in Maharashtra.

In a major embarrassment for the ‘Mahayuti’ government in Maharashtra, Shiv Sena leader and Cabinet minister Tanaji Sawant on Thursday said that he has never gotten along with the National Communist Party (NCP) all his life and sitting next to Cabinet colleague and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar makes him vomit.

Sawant is a leader of the Eknath Shinde faction of the Shiv Sena and an alliance partner of the NCP (Ajit Pawar) in the ruling alliance of the NDA comprising the Bharatiya Janata Party.

"I have never got along with the NCP all my life, we sit next to each other, but when we come out, we vomit," he said.

Sawant’s remarks triggered a storm within the ruling alliance in the state and were met with a counter by a leader of Ajit Pawar’s party.

“Amol Mitkari, and MLC from Ajit Pawar's NCP, suggested that Sawant, the Health minister, possibly has a health problem. "But being in the Mahayuti, if they are vomiting, only Eknath Shinde can tell us what is causing it," he said.

Sawant is no stranger to controversy and his statements in the past have also generated trouble before. Last year, Sawant was in the news for telling a police officer that he does not even listen to the Chief Minister and that the former would have to do what he says. He was insisting on the transfer of a police inspector in Dharashiv district.

Earlier, Sawant had said that he engineered the revolt in the Shiv Sena after Uddhav Thackeray, the former Chief Minister of Maharashtra, refused to give him a cabinet berth.

Sawant also revealed that at least 100-150 meetings were held at the behest of Devendra Fadnavis and Shinde to convince a section of Shiv Sena legislators to topple the MVA government.