NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule criticises Maharashtra govt over Ladki Bahin scheme

NCP leader Supriya Sule/ File Photo/ Shadab Khan

On Monday, Supriya Sule, the working president of the Nationalist Congress Party (SP), questioned the Maharashtra government's Mukhyamantri Ladki Bahin Yojana, implying that the ruling alliance believes money can be used to win both relationships and elections, reported PTI.

The scheme, launched by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar in last month's state budget, provides financial assistance of Rs 1,500 to women from families with an annual income of less than Rs 2.5 lakh. Pawar has been actively promoting the plan ahead of the upcoming Maharashtra assembly elections.

"There is a difference between relationships and transactions. The ruling alliance feels relationships and elections can be won over by money. Blood relations and love are different from a transaction," NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule stated, adding that the strategy looked to be a direct response to the dismal performance of the ruling alliance in the recent Lok Sabha elections.

Reportedly, while accepting the plan as a significant move, Sule, the MP for Baramati, underlined the increase in crime in Maharashtra over the last 18-24 months, during which the Eknath Shinde government was in office.

When challenged about the dominance of pink in the 'Jan Samman Yatra' headed by her estranged cousin Ajit Pawar, NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule responded that her approach to politics was "from the heart" and not based on public relations or colour schemes. "I am not into the colour of public relations," Sule retorted.

Sule, per the news agency report, also downplayed concerns about a leader or "face" for the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) in the forthcoming state elections, which are scheduled for October, claiming that there had been no discussions about the topic inside the alliance. The NCP (SP), the Shiv Sena (UBT), and Congress will contest all 288 seats as a united front, she confirmed.

While Sule reflected on the NCP (SP)'s troubles during the Lok Sabha elections, she reportedly stated that despite losing the party name and emblem, the people still backed them. She expressed confidence that the truth was on their side and that they saw hope in the ongoing court fights between the two factions that arose following the party's split last year. "We are contesting 288 seats as an alliance (which also comprises the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Congress)," Sule said.

Sule, the PTI report stated, also claimed that her husband, Sadanand Sule, received an income tax notice last week, immediately after she spoke in the Lok Sabha about the Finance Bill and the Waqf Act modification bill. "Is it a coincidence that my husband gets an IT notice after I speak in the LS?" she said.

In response to the rape and murder of a woman doctor in a Kolkata hospital, NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule termed the incident as horrific and expressed confidence that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee would move the case forward to guarantee justice. She stressed that the government is responsible for the safety of women and residents, the PTI report added.