Mumbai, Apr 4 (UNI) Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee President Harshvardhan Sapkal on Friday slammed Ajit Pawar and his faction of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) for supporting the BJP-led Central government’s Waqf Amendment Bill.

According to Sapkal, despite joining the Maharashtra government in alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Ajit Pawar and his NCP faction had claimed they had not abandoned the legacy of Shivaji, Shahu, Phule, and Ambedkar.

However, their true face has now been exposed. By supporting the BJP's Waqf Amendment Bill, Ajit Pawar has completely surrendered to the BJP for the sake of power, he alleged.

Sapkal stated that Pawar not only betrayed his uncle, Sharad Pawar, by taking the party’s name and symbol with the BJP’s help but also aligned himself with "communal forces" for power.

According to Sapkal, Ajit Pawar continues to claim that his participation in the government is for development and that he has not abandoned progressive ideals. However, his actions tell a different story.

At an Iftar party, Ajit Pawar made bold declarations that those harassing the Muslim community would not be spared or forgiven. But within days, his NCP faction supported the Waqf Amendment Bill, thereby "betraying the Muslim community", he alleged.

The Waqf Bill is nothing more than a ploy by the BJP government to intimidate the Muslim community and seize thousands of acres of land. The BJP government has already set a course to hand over key properties, including those in Dharavi, to a particular industrialist, Sapkal alleged.

Tomorrow, after acquiring Waqf lands, this government will hand them over to their favoured business tycoons. Ajit Pawar, a senior leader, is fully aware of this, yet, unable to stay away from power, he has bowed before the BJP and supported the bill, he further alleged.



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