'It is not a political stage', says Bhujbal; shares dias with Pawar for Phule event

NCP leader attends event with chief of party's other faction at event to mark Savitribai Phule's birth anniversary

- Abhay Khairnar

PUNE: Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Chaggan Bhujbal, who was upset over his exclusion in the Devendra Fadnavis cabinet, was seen with chief minister Devendra Fadnavis at a function in Satara and later in the evening shared a stage with Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) chief Sharad Pawar to mark the birth anniversary of educationist and social reformer Savitribai Phule in Pune.

Fadnavis and Bhujbal attended an event organised at Naigaon village in Satara district to pay tributes to Savitribai Phule on her birth anniversary.

Later, Pawar and Bhujbal unveiled the statues of Mahatma Phule and Savitribai Phule installed at the premises of Chakan Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC).

Speaking on the occasion, Bhujbal said many were surprised at the two sharing a stage but asserted "we will always come together for great personalities like Mahatma Phule, Shahu Maharaj and Babasaheb Ambedkar as we share the same ideology".

"Many are surprised that Pawar saheb and I have come together on one stage. I want to tell you, be it Mahatma Phule or Shahu Maharaj, Babasaheb Ambedkar or other great reformers, we will always come together for all these great people," he said, adding that it is not a political event. The NCP split in July 2023 after Ajit Pawar, Bhujbal and several others joined the Eknath Shinde government.