Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar being felicitated during a program in Baramati on January 5, 2025.
| Photo Credit: ANI
The Opposition on Monday (January 6, 2025) criticised Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar for his controversial remark at a public event, where he told voters, “You are not my boss.” The comment, made during a speech in his home constituency of Baramati, has drawn sharp reactions, with political rivals accusing him of arrogance.
Nationalist Congress Party(SP) spokesperson Clyde Crasto took to social media platform X to denounce the statement. “Strangely, he didn’t make such a remark when people raised the issue of ‘no water in dams’. This is a message not just to Baramati residents but to all Mahayuti voters. People will now realise how they were misled,” Mr. Crasto said.
Mr. Pawar made the controversial statement while addressing a public gathering on Sunday (January 5, 2025). After receiving a memorandum from attendees, he reacted sharply, saying, “Just because you voted for me doesn’t mean you’ve become my boss or owner. Have you turned me into a farm labourer now?”
The remark coincides with the political dynamics within the NCP. On January 3, Mr. Pawar’s faction ruled out any possibility of reuniting with Sharad Pawar’s faction, further deepening the divide within the party.
The controversy also comes in the aftermath of the recently concluded Maharashtra Assembly elections, where the BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP alliance, known as the Mahayuti, secured a landslide victory, winning 230 out of 288 seats. However, Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena(UBT) suffered a major blow, securing only 20 seats.
Published – January 06, 2025 10:49 pm IST