'Sitting next to Ajit Pawar makes me vomit': Sena leader
In a statement that has stirred controversy, Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction) leader Tanaji Sawant said that his party's closeness with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) made him "vomit," describing it as an "allergic reaction." He further expressed his discomfort around NCP chief Ajit Pawar, stating, "Even when I sit together in the cabinet with NCP chief Ajit Pawar, as soon as I step outside, I feel nauseous."
Sawant's discomfort with NCP and Congress ideologies
"I am a hardcore Shiv Sainik. I have never got along with Congress and NCP in my life. This is the reality. Today, even if I sit in the cabinet with them (NCP), I vomit after coming out. I can't stand it," Sawant said at a public event. He added that ideologies between the two parties are completely different, and therefore, it is not possible to be in agreement with them.
Sawant's past controversies and NCP's response
NCP leaders have downplayed Sawant's comments, with MLC Amol Mitkari suggesting the health minister should understand the cause of his own ailments. "Tanaji Sawant does not know what causes vomiting. Tanaji Sawant is the health minister, health would have something to do with it. But being in the Mahayuti, if they are vomiting, only Eknath Shinde can tell us what is causing it," said Mitkari.
Sawant's previous rebellion within Shiv Sena
Sawant has been at the center of controversy before. In 2022, he attributed a dam breach that resulted in 18 deaths to crabs weakening the dam wall. He also admitted to participating in numerous meetings to convince a faction of Shiv Sena MLAs to revolt. Sawant cited his exclusion from the Uddhav Thackeray cabinet in 2019 as a motivator for his actions, which ultimately led him to forge an alliance with the BJP in the Dharashiv Zilla Parishad.
