Indus Valley Times

Maharashtra ,July 8: Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar responded to his nephew Ajit Pawar’s retirement barb, saying he can still work even at 82 years, as party workers had requested him to keep going.

Sharad Pawar’s comments came days after Ajit Pawar said it was time for his uncle to retire and hand over the reins of the NCP to him. A crisis broke out in the party when Ajit Pawar rebelled against Sharad Pawar and joined the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government last week.

Speaking to India Today, Sharad Pawar asserted that he was “not old yet” and echoed former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s words, saying, “Na tired hu, na retired hu.” (I am neither tired nor retired).

The NCP supremo said he is working for the party and stated he did not hold any ministerial position. “Who are they to tell me to retire? I can still work,” he said.

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Responding to the Ajit Pawar faction’s claim that his meeting was illegal, Sharad Pawar hit back saying all the appointments of the party leaders, including Praful Patel, he made are also illegal.

Recently, Praful Patel and Supriya Sule were appointed as working presidents of the party, before Ajit Pawar’s rebellion.

He stated that Praful Patel had proposed his name for the president of NCP, following which he was unanimously elected.

Sharad Pawar alleged that personal attacks on him by Ajit Pawar and rebel leaders like Praful Patel and Chhagan Bhujbal were at the behest of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

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Responding to Ajit Pawar’s allegations of the NCP promoting dynastic politics, Sharad Pawar hit back saying that his nephew was made the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra four times and was given important ministries.

“Even Praful Patel was made a minister in the UPA despite losing the election. In the UPA, PA Sangma’s daughter was appointed a Union Minister. Supriya (Sule) has not got that chance yet. How come Ajit is saying this? This is wrong,” the NCP supremo said.

Sharad Pawar revealed that his party had held talks with the BJP for an alliance government in 2014, 2017 and 2019, but chose not to go ahead with the saffron party due to ideological differences.

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He contended that there was nothing wrong with holding discussions on the alliance as it is part of a democratic process.

Speaking about Ajit Pawar’s decision to join the Shiv Sena-BJP government, Sharad Pawar said, “There is a difference between the Shiv Sena and the BJP. Ajit is wrong in saying that if we can go with the Sena, why not the BJP? The Sena had an alliance with the Congress during Emergency and when we formed the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government with them. We are against the BJP.”

-ANI