NCP-SP chief Sharad Pawar with party candidate from Baramati, Yugendra Pawar, during the filing of nomination papers in Pune on October 29, 2024.
| Photo Credit: ANI
On home ground Baramati, where it is Pawar vs Pawar again, Nationalist Congress Party [NCP] [SP] chief Sharad Pawar on Tuesday (October 29, 2024) devoted his entire speech to the betrayal by his estranged nephew and Deputy Chief Minister, Ajit Pawar.
The 83-year-old leader was campaigning for his grand-nephew and NCP [SP] nominee from the Baramati Assembly seat, Yugendra Pawar, who is contesting against his uncle, Ajit Pawar. “All these years, I did not give any post to my daughter, Supriya [Sule] who is a four-time MP from here [Baramati]. Our parents and brothers never taught me the sin of breaking a family,” he said.
Referring to the November 2019 swearing-in of Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar as Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister, Mr. Sharad said, “When our party [NCP] was not in power, some members from our party left quietly at dawn to take oath as they were offered positions, but that government did not even last for four days. Someone [Ajit Pawar] who had served as Deputy CM four times, betrayed the party for the same position. Who breaks a family for something like this? It appalls me to hear that now I am being called the one who broke the family.”
On Monday, addressing a rally in Baramati, Mr. Ajit remarked that the elders in the family should have ensured that no family rift or split happened.
‘Will strive for unity in family’
Mr. Sharad said that hereafter, he would make sure that his family members remain united. “We lived in a joint family with my brothers, who include Anantrao Pawar [Ajit Pawar’s father]. All these years if I have been able to do my work well, it is because of the blessings of my brothers. I have always seen all the children in our family as my own.”
He said that during the Lok Sabha polls, Ajit [Pawar] told people not to fall prey to the sympathy and emotions of Pawar Saheb who would shed tears to seek votes for Supriya [Sule]. “But people gave their verdict by selecting Supriya over [Ajit Pawar’s wife] Sunetra [Pawar].”
A few months ago, before the election season began, Mr. Ajit had made headlines when he said at a political rally, “I made a mistake by fielding my wife Sunetra Pawar against my sister Supriya Sule in the Lok Sabha polls.” Recounting this, Mr. Sharad took out his handkerchief and mocked Mr. Ajit by pretending to wipe tears, evoking laughter from the public.
Published – October 29, 2024 11:23 pm IST