Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Sunday took a veiled jibe at Nationalist Congress Party founder Sharad Pawar by alluding to his age and speaking about the “sentimental appeal of a last election”.
The Sharad Pawar faction hit back claiming the comments were “inhuman” and accused the deputy CM of “praying for the death” of the party founder.
Ajit Pawar split the NCP in July last year and joined the Eknath Shinde government along with eight MLAs. He has since then routinely justified his revolt by saying elders, a reference to octogenarian Sharad Pawar, should have given way to the next generation.
Attacking Sharad Pawar (83) without taking his name, the Deputy CM said, “I do not know when some people are going to stop. There might be a sentimental appeal that this would be the last election. Do not know which will be the last election.” He was speaking at a gathering in Baramati in Pune district.
Hitting back, MLA Jitendra Awhad of the Sharad Pawar faction claimed the deputy CM had “crossed all limits of decency” with his remarks.
“Ajit Pawar must think about his inhuman comments in which he allegedly prayed for the death of Sharad Pawar. Maharashtra now knows what kind of a man Ajit Pawar is,” Awhad said.
Sharad Pawar’s contribution to Maharashtra will stay on forever, Awhad said.
Sharad Pawar has remained undefeated in Assembly and Lok Sabha polls since the late 1960s and is currently a Rajya Sabha member.
The deputy CM also spoke about his faction’s Lok Sabha plans at the gathering.
“You listened to a senior for so many years. Now listen to me and vote for the Lok Sabha candidate I am going to field. I can then tell Prime Minister Narendra Modi that people have voted for my candidate. Do not forget who came to help when you were in trouble,” he said.
“In the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, consider me as your candidate. If you give votes to a person who belongs to my party, then I will talk to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah for sizable funds for projects in Baramati,” he said.
The deputy CM said he completed multiple projects efficiently and firmly believed no one had done as much for the region in the past five years.
“An international airport will be built in Pune soon. Talks have been held with (deputy CM) Devendra Fadnavis on it. People of Baramati have made be finance minister. Multiple projects will come up in Baramati,” he claimed.
“It is for people of Baramati to decide who they want to vote for,” he added.
Baramati is represented in the Lok Sabha by Supriya Sule, Sharad Pawar’s daughter, who won in the 2009, 2014 and 2019 polls.
Sharad Pawar represented it for four consecutive terms since 1996 and once in 1991, when Ajit Pawar vacated the seat after the former became Defence minister in the Narasimha Rao cabinet.
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