Enjoy such news: Union minister on NCP split buzz

Amid reports of a split in the Nationalist Congress Party, Bharatiya Janata Party leader and Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur on Tuesday said some discussions keep taking place in the corridors of power and such news should be enjoyed.

Thakur was reacting to reports of an imminent split in the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) with Leader of the Opposition in the Maharashtra Assembly Ajit Pawar joining the ranks of the BJP.

"Some discussions keep taking place in the corridors of power. One should enjoy such news," Thakur told reporters in Mumbai.

Thakur was in Mumbai as part of the BJP's outreach efforts in parliamentary seats it had lost narrowly in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

"I am confident that people will bless us. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has empowered the poor through various schemes such as housing and cooking gas. Narendra Modi will receive the blessings of the poor, the middle class and traders," Thakur said.

The senior BJP leader said voters have always rejected coalition politics as the political parties forming such an alliance don't have any policy or leadership.

"All corrupt parties are trying to take each other's help. But people have never accepted this 'mahathagbandhan' (coalition of the corrupt) and they never will," Thakur said.

He said the opposition parties were just trying to cover up their corruption, prevent themselves from going to jail and remain politically relevant.

Thakur also slammed the opposition parties critical of the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh over the killing of Atiq Ahmad and his brother Ashraf and the encounter killing of Atiq Ahmad's son Asad.

"These leaders never spoke when the same mafia attacked the common people. These leaders used to visit the homes of these mafia for tea and extend protection to them," Thakur charged.