They want to finish Sharad Pawar, everyone in Baramati being threatened: Supriya Sule

NCP leader Supriya Sule slams BJP for non-governance and double standards, accuses them of trying to break parties. Urges voters to fight back.

NAVI MUMBAI: NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) leader Supriya Sule, while addressing an MVA rally in Koparkhairane on Sunday evening, lashed out at the BJP, its “non-governance and double standards on corruption”, and the fact that their only agenda was to break parties.

Navi Mumbai, India - April 7, 2024: NCP (Sharad Pawar) Member of Parliament Supriya Sule during "Mahasabha" public meeting of Baramati voters residing at Bhumiputra Ground Kopar Khairane in Navi Mumbai, India, on Sunday, April 7, 2024. (Photo by Bachchan Kumar/ HT PHOTO) (HT PHOTO)

“When the ruling party leaders come to Baramati, their single-point agenda is to finish Sharad Pawar,” she said. “There is no talk of unemployment, water shortage, inflation and corruption. They are only interested in breaking up the party.” Sule alleged that threats were being issued to voters, and lamented that they were not used to all this in their “cultured constituency”.

The MP said that if the ruling parties were out to harm Maharashtra, they would not tolerate it. “They took away our party and symbol as they did to Uddhav Thackeray,” she said. “They thought we would sit and cry. But we will not stop. Our grandmother, Sharadabai Pawar, has taught us to fight, not sulk. Hence, we shall follow her ideal and that of Balasaheb (Thackeray). Sharad Pawar, his age notwithstanding, is giving his all in this fight.”

Castigating the government, Sule continued, “This triple-engine khokha government has committed the huge sin of increasing electricity charges in this scorching summer. A ₹1,800-crore income-tax notice has been sent to the Congress and all its accounts frozen. Has this ever happened in the history of the country?”

Sule said Maharashtra had never before seen vendetta politics. Balasaheb and Sharad Pawar had political differences and targeted each other, but at the personal level they had a great relationship,” she said. “I recently came across a letter written by Balasaheb around 20 years ago, in which he wished Sharad Pawar during his illness, stating that Maharashtra needed him.”

Questioning the double standards of the government, the MP said, “Nirmala Sitaraman alleged in Parliament that the biggest corruption in the country had been by the Congress’ Ashok Chavan in the Adarsh Scam. She also talked about Kejriwal. I had, in fact, defended Chavan the most at the time. However, he soon joined them and is an MP now, while Kejriwal is in jail. Same department, two actions. How can this be explained?”

She added, “Sitaraman has in an interview recently said that everyone is joining her party, as they want to strengthen it. Whatever happened to ‘Na khaunga na khaane dunga’?

“Compare the work done by the Congress with that of the BJP,” she added. “Who brought in electricity, schools, colleges, hospitals, mobiles, WhatsApp, roti, kapda, water in our area? What have they done in 10 years except sell everything? Foxconn did not come to us and we lost two lakh jobs. Look at how Sharad Pawar got six lakh people to work in Hinjewadi.”

Sule asked voters not to believe that “their government will come to power”. “Anything can happen,” she said. “They have a single-day polling in Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh but five phases in Maharashtra, as they know there is a problem here. The MVA is fighting for every seat. It is not going to be easy for them.”