Sharad Pawar’s wife & granddaughter barred from entering Textile Park in Baramati

They were stopped for over 25 minutes despite repeated requests from my mother. Interestingly, this textile park was brought to Baramati by Sharad Pawar, said Supriya Sule

Nationalist Congress Party/NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar’s wife Pratibha Pawar and his granddaughter Revati Sule along with others were allegedly barred from entering Textile Park in Baramati, the hometown of the Pawar family, for nearly half-an-hour. Later, the duo was allowed to enter the premises where they went on to campaign for NCP (SP) nominee, Yugendra Pawar.

A male aide who was accompanying Pratibha Pawar and Revati Sule confirmed that they were not allowed to enter the premises for at least 30 minutes. (HT PHOTO)

Sharad Pawar’s daughter and Baramati MP Supriya Sule alleged that her mother Pratibha Pawar and her daughter Revati Sule were stopped at the entrance of Textile Park despite requesting the security guard to let them in. In a video of the entire episode, which has since gone viral, the security guard is seen informing Pratibha Pawar that the gates have been closed on the instructions of the chief manager. In the same video, a woman accompanying Pratibha Pawar is heard telling the security guard, “We have not come here to steal anything. We have come for shopping. Let us visit the park.”

“They were stopped for over 25 minutes despite repeated requests from my mother. Interestingly, this textile park was brought to Baramati by Sharad Pawar. It is fine that they have power and they can do whatever they want,” Sule said in an apparent dig at Ajit Pawar whose wife and Rajya Sabha (RS) MP Sunetra Pawar is the director at this park which has 11 units involved in manufacturing readymade cloth.

Inside the park, Pratibha Pawar urged voters to bring the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) to power. “I am sure that the MVA government will come to power, and it will come to power with your help,” she said.

A male aide who was accompanying Pratibha Pawar and Revati Sule confirmed that they were not allowed to enter the premises for at least 30 minutes.

When contacted, Textile Park chief manager Anil Wagh said that he was not aware that Pratibha Pawar was supposed to visit the premises. “I was only told that a political rally was going to take place. As there was no permission for such a rally, I instructed the security personnel at the gate not to allow any rally inside,” Wagh claimed.

“When I was told that Pratibha Kaki, as Pratibha Pawar is popularly known, had arrived, I immediately asked the security guards to open the gate and allow them inside,” he said.

According to Wagh, Pratibha Pawar and Revati Sule visited some companies on the premises and interacted with women workers.

Box

Nationalist Congress Party (SP) president Sharad Pawar on Sunday joined other political leaders being subjected to ‘checks’ by Election Commission of India (ECI) officials ahead of polling day on November 20.

A team of ECI officials conducted a thorough check of Pawar’s baggage and the helicopter in which he was to fly to Solapur for an election rally later this afternoon, raising eyebrows in political circles.

Photo caption: Screenshot of video where security guard seen.