Congress faces criticism from allies Shiv Sena and NCP’s Sharad Pawar, while Congress leader Alka Lamba faces backlash for comments about Pawar.

The Congress party in Maharashtra is facing criticism from both its allies, with the Shiv Sena expressing its unhappiness over Rahul Gandhi’s recent comments about Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) being targeted by Congress leader Alka Lamba, who called NCP chief Sharad Pawar a “lalchi” (greedy person) for allegedly supporting industrialist Gautam Adani. Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Devendra Fadnavis, criticized Lamba’s comment and accused Rahul Gandhi of “perverting India’s political culture.” The NCP has a long-standing alliance with the Congress, but had supported the BJP in 2014 before joining forces with the Shiv Sena to form the Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra in 2019. NCP’s Ajit Pawar also took oath as Deputy Chief Minister with the BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis as Chief Minister in a surprise move in 2019. Congress leader Lamba tweeted a photo of Sharad Pawar with Gautam Adani and accused those who were “scared and greedy” of singing praises to “dictatorial powers” for their own benefit. She defended her comment, stating that there was democracy within the party and she would be solely responsible for her statement.