‘Had I been son of Sharad Pawar’: Maharashtra deputy CM Ajit on not being given opportunity
Ajit displaced 83-year-old Sharad Pawar and took over NCP as the party's national president and joined the Eknath Shinde-led NDA government in Maharashtra.
Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar said on Thursday that he was not offered a political opportunity when he was a member of his uncle's Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) because he wasn't NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar's son.
Speaking at a rally in Pune district's Shirur area, Ajit said, “Had I been the son of NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar would I have not been given the opportunity? Yes, I would have gotten the opportunity. Just because I am not his son, I have not got the opportunity. What kind of justice is this?”
Ajit displaced 83-year-old Sharad Pawar and took over NCP as the party's National President and joined the Eknath Shinde-led NDA government, along with eight MLAs, in Maharashtra in July last year.
Taking a dig at Sharad Pawar, he added that after turning 80, a politician should give opportunities to new people.
He said, “I am also above 60. Do we have a chance or not? Are we behaving wrongly? That is why we get emotional. Pawar saheb is also our 'daivat' (like a God) and there is no doubt about it, but every person has his time. After crossing 80, new people should be given an opportunity.”
Ajit Pawar responding to his uncle's statement, said that Sharad Pawar admitted there were talks with the BJP, but no decision was made. He also mentioned that Sharad Pawar personally witnessed these discussions.
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The deputy CM was out campaigning for the NCP candidate Shivajirao Adhalrao Patil, who's running for the Shirur Lok Sabha seat.
Ajit Pawar's wife Sunetra Pawar contested in the third phase of the ongoing Lok Sabha elections from Pune's Baramati, which is considered a stronghold for the Pawar family. She competed against her sister-in-law and Sharad Pawar's daughter Supriya Sule.
Ajit Pawar said that he put in a lot of effort in Pune, particularly in gaining control of the district cooperative bank for his party. He said, “I got the Pune Zilla Parishad under our control. Pimpri Chinchwad (in Pune district) was never in our control, but from 1992 till 2017, the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation was brought under the party's control and changed the face of the industrial town.”
The deputy CM added that people should go to Baramati to see the development he has done there over the years.
When questioned about Sharad Pawar's statement regarding talks with the BJP, Ajit said that at least his uncle acknowledged that the discussions took place. “If you did not want to go, then why were discussions held? If you did not want to go with the BJP, why six meetings were held in Delhi with senior leadership (of BJP). I and (NCP leader) Praful Patel are witnesses to those meetings. (BJP leader and deputy CM) Devendraji was also present.”
He added that once they came back to Mumbai, the decision to join hands with BJP was put to sleep and a decision to ally with Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena was taken.
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Currently, former state CM Thackeray leads the Shiv Sena (UBT), which, along with the NCP (SP) and Congress, makes up the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) in the state.
In an interview with the Indian Express, former Maharashtra CM and union minister Sharad Pawar said, “In the next couple of years, several regional parties will associate more closely with the Congress. Or they may look at the option of merging with the Congress if they believe that is the best for their party.”
To this, Ajit said that he has seen various kinds of statements coming from his uncle since he has worked closely with Sharad Pawar.
He added, “Sometimes, he makes statements to create a state of confusion. He also talked about Uddhavji but I do not think Uddhvaji will merge his party with the Congress as I have seen him and his style of working during the MVA government.”
Ajit also said that whenever Sharad Pawar wanted to make a decision, he conveyed it to his party, making it seem like it was a collective decision.
“When we took the decision to join the BJP-Shiv Sena government, at that time, he (Sharad Pawar) was the only person who was opposing it. He even asked us to go (with the ruling side) and expressed his wish to retire.”