Ajit Pawar is our leader and he has taken a different route, just because of that there is no reason to call it a split: Sharad Pawar
On Friday, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) supremo Sharad Pawar said that his party has “not split” — 55 days after the breakaway group led by his nephew Ajit Pawar walked out to join the State government.
The breakaway NCP faction of Ajit Pawar has been claiming since July 1 that there’s “no split” and Sharad Pawar continues to be their leader.
On at least two occasions, Ajit Pawar and his supporters had visited Sharad Pawar to pay their respects and “seek his blessings and guidance”.
“Ajit Pawar is our leader and he has taken a different route… Just because of that, there is no reason to call it a split,” said the 83-year-old NCP supremo while interacting with media persons.
Sharad Pawar said that the party is still united and all the leaders who have adopted a separate path “are also ours”.
“What is a split? When a large section of the party is separated at the national level, which is not the case here (in NCP). Some people have left taking a differing stance. It’s their right in a democracy… There is no need to call it a split because of that,” he explained.
As the utterances fuelled speculation, a senior party leader explained that Sharad Pawar’s statement was with reference to the lack of legislative recognition of the Ajit Pawar-led group.
“The legislative group has yet to be recognized by the Speaker, unlike the case of the Eknath Shinde precedent… We have already informed the legislature and the Election Commission of the same. Hence, there is no justification to term it a ‘split’ till the legislative status is cleared,” the leader, preferring anonymity, told IANS.
Incidentally, Sharad Pawar’s ugly googly came a day after his daughter and NCP Working President Supriya Sule also took a similar stand, and her cousin, MLA Rohit Pawa also adopted the same stance on Friday.
“The NCP National President is Sharad Pawar Saheb, Maharashtra President is Jayant Patil. Ajit Pawar is also a senior legislator and leader of our party and we are all working together,” declared Sule.
Arguing that there was no “split”, Sule said they have made a representation in the matter of Ajit Pawar to the Maharashtra Assembly Speaker, and the latter’s reply is awaited.
The ruling alliance BBJP leaders like state chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule, Sudhir Mungantiwar, Pravin Darekar, and others said that “Pawar’s statements imply that he is fully supporting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s developmental policies, akin to Ajit Pawar”.
The NCP has also rejected theories that Pawar senior’s statements could create confusion in the party’s rank and file, and also drive a wedge in the I.N.D.I.A alliance, reiterating that the party is very much part of the national opposition group.
[With Inputs from IANS]
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