Wrong to blame NCP for BJP's poor show: Chhagan Bhujbal

PUNE: Maharashtra cabinet minister and senior NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal on Friday ridiculed the RSS mouthpiece Organiser's article that blamed his party for the BJP's poor performance in the recently held Lok Sabha elections.
Bhujbal said, "Holding the NCP responsible for the alliance's poor performance is not right. Along with Maharashtra, the BJP's tally reduced in other states too.There are various reasons for it."
Columnist and RSS member Ratan Sharda's piece described the admission of the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) into the BJP-Shiv Sena govt as an "ill-advised" step, which "hurt" the BJP's cadre.
Bhujbal told mediapersons in Pune on Friday, "It may be their analysis, but in Maharashtra, the NCP contested only four of the 48 seats. Blaming our party for the low seat count is not right. There are other states where the BJP lost many seats. Nobody had thought that the BJP would lose so many seats in UP, but it happened. It shows that there are other reasons for the seat count going down which needs more introspection."
The minister was in Pune for a meeting with deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar on the construction of the Bhidewada memorial.
He was disappointed with his govt over the delay in its construction.
Bhujbal said, "It has been two years since govt got possession of the land but nothing has been done so far. Officials are not working on the project. It looks like they will not start work unless we start an agitation. I came to Pune to raise the issue with Ajit Pawar."
He announced that the groundbreaking ceremony of the national memorial in Bhidewada where Savitribai Phule started the first girls' school will be held in July.
"It was delayed for some reasons but we have finalised the plan and work will start by next month," Pawar said.
On his reaction to the Organiser's article, he said, "In a democracy, everyone has the right to comment. I am concerned about the development of the state and will continue to work in that direction."
On media reports that Bhujbal was sulking after Sunetra Pawar's nomination, the NCP president maintained his party colleague himself told him he was not upset.
He said some people, including those from the opposition, and "our close friends" are planting such reports but there was no truth in them.
Sunetra says she is ready for big responsibility
NCP chief Ajit Pawar's wife Sunetra received a grand welcome from party workers when she visited Pune on Friday after she was nominated to Rajya Sabha. She said she is interested in a ministerial post at the Centre.
Sunetra said she would continue to work in Baramati constituency. "During the campaign, I visited every tehsil. I will look at developing other tehsils like Baramati," she added.