On Monday, NCP chief Sharad Pawar has said that his nephew, Ajit Pawar, has confessed to him that allying with BJP was a mistake.
According to Hindustan Times, NCP chief said this during an interview to a Marathi TV channel, ABP Majha. Sharad Pawar also said that he may forgive his nephew for the mistake. During the interview 78-year-old leader said that Ajit Pawar was considered as the number 2 in the party before he broke ranks and backed BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis.
He was irked by the long negotiation and disagreements between the NCP, Congress and the Shiv Sena on November 22, NCP chief said. “Irked with that disagreement and the ongoing discussion with Congress, Ajit took this call that night. He was told oath has to be taken immediately, if this deal had to be done. Later, Ajit told me he made a mistake,’’ said Pawar reported Hindustan Times. But however, Sharad Pawar has indicated that he will forgive his nephew and also pointed out that a large section within the NCP looked up to Ajit’s leadership.
In the same interview, NCP chief has said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had proposed “working together” but he rejected the offer. Pawar said he made it clear to Modi that it won’t be possible for him to work together with the PM. “Modi had offered me to work together. I told him that our personal relations are very good and they will remain that way but it is not possible for me to work together,” Pawar said.
Amidst political uncertainty in Maharashtra, Pawar had met Modi in Delhi, ostensibly to discuss the issues of farmrers, on November 20. Days after Pawar met Modi, the NCP chief’s nephew Ajit Pawar broke ranks with the party and joined hands with the BJP in Maharashtra claiming that he had support of MLAs.
In a hush-hush development, Devendra Fadnavis took oath as chief minister on November 23 morning and Ajit Pawar as deputy CM. However, the BJP-Ajit Pawar government collapsed on November 26, after Ajit resigned as the deputy CM citing “personal reasons”.