Will you split family for power ambitions?: Pawar

PTI Baramati: NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar turned the heat on his estranged nephew and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar on Tuesday, virtually accusing him of breaking the family for his political ambitions. Campaigning for his grandnephew and NCP (SP) nominee from the Baramati assembly segment, Yugendra Pawar, the Pawar senior mimicked Ajit, who a day earlier became emotional over Yugendra’s candidature at a rally. Sharad Pawar’s action of pretending to wipe his eyes with a handkerchief in the middle of the speech evoked a peal of laughter from the audience.

The elections to 288 seats in Maharashtra are scheduled for November 20. Votes will be counted three days later. Addressing a rally on Monday, Baramati MLA Ajit Pawar alleged that “seniors” should have ensured that a family rift is avoided, referencing to Yugendra’s candidature. “My parents and brothers never taught me the sin to break the house (family),” Sharad Pawar said while addressing a rally at Kanheri town near Baramati. “People tasked me with leading Maharashtra a long time ago. I am now a mentor and have entrusted the party affairs to the new generation,” he said. Underscoring the uncertainties of politics, the former Union minister said one should not leave his colleagues for the sake of securing power for oneself. “Unfortunately, when we (NCP) were not in power, some of our colleagues suddenly woke up at dawn and took oath.

That government didn’t last for even for four days,” Pawar said. Notably, Ajit Pawar took oath as Deputy Chief Minister when he was a member of the opposition NCP (undivided) with BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis as CM at Raj Bhavan amid a political tug-of-war over the formation of a government, post the 2019 assembly elections. “He (Ajit) went to the other side to secure the deputy chief minister’s post despite having served as Deputy CM four times. You got the position most of the time. If you fail to get the position only once, will you break the house (famly)?” Sharad Pawar asked.