Rohit Pawar Warns of BJP's 'Operation Lotus' Targeting Maharashtra Opposition Alliance

Maharashtra's Maha Vikas Aghadi opposition coalition has been issued a stark warning by NCP-SP legislator Rohit Pawar, who claims the BJP has initiated a second phase of 'Operation Lotus' - their alleged strategy to entice opposition lawmakers to defect.

The Maha Vikas Aghadi comprises the Congress party alongside NCP and Shiv Sena factions led by Sharad Pawar and former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. Both leaders witnessed their parties fracture within a 12-month period beginning June 2022, with breakaway factions subsequently joining forces with the BJP, purportedly after financial inducements to switch allegiances.

Rohit Pawar cited NCP MLA Sangram Jagtap's controversial statement encouraging Hindus to purchase Diwali merchandise exclusively from Hindu vendors as evidence of this operation.

He further alleged that the BJP-headed Mahayuti coalition has been systematically dismantling state programs, particularly those attributed to non-BJP figures, including the Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana established by Shiv Sena's Eknath Shinde.

According to Pawar, approximately 28 lakh beneficiaries have already been removed from these schemes.

"Certain programs were implemented to attract voters... however, the BJP is displeased that specific initiatives are connected to leaders from rival parties," Pawar elaborated.

Rohit Pawar also appeared to issue a time-sensitive message to Raj Thackeray's Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, stating that 'MNS must accept the alliance's Common Minimum Program.'

"When our then-unified NCP entered this coalition, we faced restrictions regarding what could be discussed under the CMP. If MNS consents to these conditions, there shouldn't be complications... though the ultimate decision rests with party leadership," he explained.

Political circles throughout Maharashtra have been discussing potential reconciliation between the Thackeray cousins.

The formerly estranged relatives seem to have discovered shared political interests in recent months, beginning with joint opposition to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis' now-withdrawn mandate requiring Marathi instruction for students from Class I through V.

The Thackeray cousins have conducted five meetings over the past quarter, not counting a significant moment when they visited each other's residences during Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations in August.

Should these discussions evolve into a formal alliance, it would transform electoral dynamics in Mumbai, where both maintain substantial local influence, particularly before upcoming civic elections.

Within this context, Rohit Pawar's message to Raj Thackeray has been interpreted as a reminder that aligning with Uddhav Thackeray necessitates accepting both Congress and NCP as partners, along with the three parties' mutual agenda.

Additionally, Rohit Pawar criticized the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's increasing control over state universities. The RSS serves as the ideological foundation for the BJP.

His assertion that RSS influence has contributed to institutional decline reflects a broader narrative developing in non-BJP governed states including Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Senior Congress leaders in Karnataka and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam officials in Tamil Nadu have accused the RSS of 'planting communal division.'