With Ajit Pawar’s continued absence from the public glare raising eyebrows, his cousin and NCP MP Supriya Sule has said that she is in touch with the former deputy CM, adding, “Every person has an individual life.”
The Parliamentarian said, “Ajitdada might not be reachable for you, but I am in touch with him. Every person has an individual life. But the media has become so sensitive that if a person has gone out for work, it is immediately given a political colour. However, it is the right of the media…it can write what it wants.”
Speculation around Ajit Pawar began swirling after he left the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) convention in Shirdi midway five days back. He continues to remain out of bounds for the media. Even as the entire rank and file of the party hit the streets against the alleged disparaging remarks hinted at Sule by state minister Abdul Sattar, Ajit Pawar has not appeared before the media to react on the issue as expected, lending further strength to the rumour mill.
A top NCP leader said Ajit Pawar was out of the country. “He is abroad for some personal work…He will return to Pune on Friday,” he said.
Ajit Pawar’s absence from media glare assumes significance with a state minister saying last week that several NCP MLAs were in touch with the government. The fact that Pawar has not been overtly critical of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and vice versa has not helped matters either. As Leader of Opposition, Ajit Pawar was often seen targeting Chief Minister Eknath Shinde but not Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis with whom he shares a close equation, said an NCP leader.
Last week, on account of leaving the Shirdi convention earlier than expected, Ajit Pawar ended up not sharing the stage with ailing party chief Sharad Pawar who had come all the way from Mumbai with both arms in bandages for the event. NCP State chief Jayant Patil said Ajit Pawar had a pre-decided family event at his maternal grandmother’s home and had informed him of the same in advance.
