Will take firm stand against poaching, says Sharad Pawar

Amid widespread speculation of a rebellion by Ajit Pawar, NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Sunday said that if any party was planning to poach their leaders or orchestrate a split in their party, they would take a firm stand on it

Mumbai: Amid widespread speculation of a rebellion by Ajit Pawar, NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Sunday said that if any party was planning to poach their leaders or orchestrate a split in their party, they would take a firm stand on it. Pawar also met Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi chief Prakash Ambedkar—who is considered his staunch critic—and discussed the possibility of an alliance in the Karnataka assembly polls.

Nagpur: Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) President Sharad Pawar being welcomed by party workers at Kondhali village, while former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh looks on, on the outskirt of Nagpur, Sunday, April 23, 2023. (PTI Photo) (PTI04_23_2023_000398A) (PTI)

In his media interaction during his Amravati tour on Sunday, Pawar was questioned about the burning political topic of the day, his nephew’s intentions. “If the BJP is planning to poach or is chalking out a strategy to split other parties, we will have to take a firm stand,” he responded. “We have not discussed this within the party as yet but we will.”

Pawar reiterated his stand on the Adani controversy and said that he had spoken only against the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) and it did not mean that he was favouring anybody. “I have already clarified that in my opinion a JPC would not serve any purpose for the simple reason that the ruling party would have a majority in it,” he said. “I had said that the Supreme Court-monitored committee would be more effective. Nonetheless, if the opposition parties unanimously decide to push for the JPC, I will stand by them.”

Meanwhile, senior NCP leader Eknath Khadse, referring to Ajit’s recent statement that he would like to become CM and did not have to wait till 2024 for that, said that one should not be surprised if Ajit did indeed become CM. “His contribution to the prosperity of the party is tremendous, and I do not think he will join the BJP,” he said. “He is not one to bow before pressure and threats (of action by central agencies). He did not join the BJP even when he was sworn in as deputy chief minister with Devendra Fadnavis as CM in 2019.”

Khadse added that in the current scenario, anything could happen on the political front. “The apex court verdict is awaited, and if the 16 MLAs from the Shinde faction are disqualified, the Shinde government will collapse, as he is one of them,” he said. “The governor will have to invite the party which has the support of 145 MLAs, as imposing President’s Rule cannot be an immediate step. If Ajit dada manages to reach the magic number, he can become the chief minister.”