Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar on Friday brazenly exposed his uncle and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar and accused him of saying one thing and doing just the opposite. Addressing a large meeting of activists of the NCP (Ajit Pawar) in Karjat, the deputy CM said Mr Sharad Pawar's resignation from the post of party presidentship on May 2, 2023 was only an eyewash. Many had then suspected that the resignation was only a drama. But now Ajit Pawar himself has confirmed that the development was indeed a drama.
He said his uncle announced his resignation first and later called two NCP leaders of Thane Anand Paranjpe and Jitendra Awhad and asked them to mobilise women and youths the same day and instructed them to demand that he (Pawar Sr) take his resignation back. And this is exactly what happened. When Pawar Sr announced his resignation at the YB Chavan Centre at Nariman Point several women and youths sobbed uncontrollably and begged him to rescind his decision. Two days later he withdrew the resignation. "If at all he wanted to go back on his decision to quit, why did he announce his resignation in the first place?'' Mr Ajit Pawar asked even as the large audience heard the shocking disclosure in stunned silence.
Ajit Pawar says his uncle had asked him to join BJP-led govt
Mr Ajit Pawar dropped another bombshell when he disclosed that it was Mr Sharad Pawar who had asked him to join the BJP-led government in Maharashtra. These two twin disclosures by his own nephew has pushed Mr Sharad Pawar to a tight corner from which he may not be able to wriggle out since the disclosures were made by his own nephew and closest confidant until recently.
With Ajit Pawar disclosing that it was Mr Sharad Pawar who asked him to join the BJP-led government, the latter's position in the INDIA Alliance has become extremely vulnerable. On the one hand Pawar Sr is projecting himself as a secular leader who wants to unite all anti-BJP parties and on the other hand he himself had advised his nephew to join hands with the BJP. Earlier, Mr Sharad Pawar had created a controversy when he held a closed-door meeting with industrialist Gautam Adani, who is the bete noir of the INDIA Alliance, specially the Congress. His meeting with Mr Adani had caused considerable consternation within the anti-BJP alliance, but Mr Pawar Sr brushed aside the objections. At that time his daughter Supriya Sule had told the FPJ that Adani was known to her family for over 30 years.
Disclosures by Ajit Pawar to cause confusion in INDIA alliance
Friday's disclosures by Ajit Pawar are certain to cause tremendous confusion in INDIA alliance ranks on the eve of the declaration of results of the assembly elections to five states. This will result in the weakening of the anti-BJP alliance in the run up to the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
Meanwhile, Mr Ajit Pawar said his party will contest the Baramati Lok Sabha seat which was a pocket borough of Sharad Pawar and Supriya Sule. The aim is to unseat them from this constituency. He also announced the decision of his party to field candidates from Shirur, Satara and Raigad, where Sunil Tatkare has his strong base.
