Chandrakant Patil’s remark on Sharad Pawar was wrong: Ajit Pawar
Speaking at Shirur on Thursday, Ajit said that Patil should not have made the statement against his uncle during campaign in Baramati.
Pune: Two days after Baramati went to polls, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Ajit Pawar has expressed unhappiness over Chandrakant Patil’s comment on Sharad Pawar during election, indirectly blaming the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader for negative impact in voting.
Speaking at Shirur on Thursday, Ajit said that Patil should not have made the statement against his uncle during campaign in Baramati.
Patil had said that the BJP’s goal is to defeat Sharad Pawar and this election is an opportunity for them. Reacting to it, Ajit said, “Sharad Pawar was not a contestant for Baramati Lok Sabha seat. It was a wrong statement made by Patil, and after he said it, we asked him not to campaign in Baramati but shifted him to Pune. Later, Patil did not mention anything about it.”
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Earlier on Wednesday at a meeting of Mahayuti leaders to discuss Baramati election, Ajit had reportedly expressed unhappiness over Patil’s remarks.
Patil had visited Baramati and said, “BJP wants to defeat Sharad Pawar at any cost.”
The statement possibly resulted in a sympathy wave for the veteran leader, according to NCP leaders.
Reacting to Ajit’s remarks, BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis said, “Patil has already clarified his remarks. I have also on multiple occasions said that the Baramati polls were between Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi. There was no question of Sharad Pawar here.”
NCP (SP) leader Amol Kolhe said, “Ajit dada expressed unhappiness over Chandrakant Patil’s reaction but did not speak about Narendra Modi’s comment against Sharad Pawar.”
Some political leaders on condition of anonymity said that the prime minister’s remarks against Sharad Pawar by calling him “Bhatakti Atma” (wandering soul) also affected negatively in parts of western Maharashtra and particularly in Baramati. Modi had made the statement against senior Pawar at a public rally in Pune, prompting Ajit to later say that he will ask the prime minister who he was referring to.