Unclear who Eknath Shinde targeted with ‘do not take me lightly’ remark: Ajit Pawar

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Sunday said it was unclear who was the target of Eknath Shinde’s remark that he should not be taken lightly.

Speaking at the 98th Akhil Bhartiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan, Pawar questioned whether Shinde was referring to Shiv Sena (UBT) or someone else.

“Recently, Shinde used a phrase, ‘don’t take me lightly.’ It is still not clear who was the target of those remarks,” Pawar said in Shinde’s presence at the Talkatora Stadium. “It is still not clear whether ‘Mashal’ should not be taken lightly or someone else should not take him lightly.” ‘Mashal’ is the election symbol of Shiv Sena (UBT), led by Uddhav Thackeray.

Shinde, who spoke after Pawar, did not elaborate. “The ‘don’t take me lightly’ comment was a reference to an incident that took place over two years ago,” he was quoted as saying by news agency PTI in its report.

Pawar said there was no division within the MahaYuti alliance, which includes the BJP, NCP, and Shiv Sena.

In 2022, Shinde became chief minister after breaking away from the Thackeray-led Shiv Sena and forming an alliance with the BJP. After the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections, Shinde agreed to a change in roles, with Devendra Fadnavis, his deputy in the previous government, becoming chief minister.

At the event, Shinde recalled that it was during his tenure as chief minister that Marathi was granted classical language status by the central government. He also spoke about his political opponents’ reaction to him receiving the Mahadji Shinde Award from NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar.

“We forget everything after the elections and nurture relationships beyond politics,” Shinde said, referring to the interaction between Sharad Pawar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the inauguration of the Sammelan.

Both Ajit Pawar and Shinde expressed concern over the growing use of English as the medium of instruction.

(Inputs from PTI)