Mumbai, Correspondent 

NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) MLA Rohit Pawar has strongly criticized the BJP-led state government, accusing Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Union Home Minister Amit Shah of using political vendetta by ordering an inquiry into the Vasantdada Sugar Institute (VSI) — a premier sugar research organization chaired by Sharad Pawar, with Ajit Pawar, Jayant Patil, and Harshavardhan Patil on its governing board.

The Maharashtra government recently directed an official probe into the alleged misuse of grants and farmer contributions by the institute. A special committee has been appointed to investigate the matter. However, the timing of the order — just a day after Amit Shah declared that the BJP “needs no crutches” and can govern Maharashtra on its own strength — has triggered major political speculation about growing rifts within the ruling Mahayuti alliance of BJP, Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena, and Ajit Pawar’s NCP.

Reacting sharply, Rohit Pawar said the decision to investigate VSI is not routine, but a targeted political move by the BJP to discredit the Pawar family and the institute’s contributions to farmers. “Under the leadership of Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar, VSI has worked beyond party lines purely for farmers’ welfare. The BJP has now shifted its political focus from Thane to Baramati,” he remarked.

Pawar added, “When we provide proof of corruption worth crores, the government stays silent. But when it comes to an institution doing genuine work, it rushes to conduct inquiries out of political hatred. This is the BJP’s new brand of politics.”

The controversy has intensified debates over whether the Mahayuti alliance is fracturing and if the BJP is preparing for a power shift ahead of the upcoming local body elections.

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