The ‘shock treatment’ of collecting resignations from all 20 ministers of his party in the Maharashtra was connected more with the cleaning the party’s image and not with the enhancing of the state government’s image, according to Nationalist Congress Party chief and Union Minister for Agriculture, Sharad Pawar.
Talking to presspersons at Rajgurunagar, about 70 kms from Pune, Pawar said, “We are not concerned with the image of the state government. We are not worried about the various allegations against the state government. The endeavor is more for enhancing the image of the party and was initiated after some of of the surveys came out recently. We are acting cauntiously.”
A recent survey done by a Marathi news channel along with Nielsen had shown that NCP had lost ground in most of the constituencies as against Shiv Sena and Bharatiya Janata Party and also Maharashtra Navnirman Sena.
He claimed that some of the ministers in the cabinet have accepted to shoulder the responsibility of enhancing party’s image in view of the Lok Sabha elections which can take place anytime. However, he refused to comment when the elections will actually take place.
Pawar said that the reshuffle in the cabinet and party organization will be completed before 11 June. “The decision to take resignation lsetters from all ministerial colleagues was taken after having discussions with all concerned. Speaker Dilip Valse-Patil was not asked to tender resign but he voluntarily did that”he said.
Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who was also in Pune, did not say anything on the development. He was among those whose resignation letters were taken by Pawar senior.
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