Amid political crisis in Maharashtra, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Sharad Pawar left for Delhi on Thursday, where he has summoned a National Executive meeting.
Meanwhile, outside NCP president Sharad Pawar’s residence in Delhi, banners reading “In the fight of truth and lie, the entire country is with Sharad Pawar” and “India’s history is such that it has never forgiven those who have betrayed” have appeared.
With the NCP witnessing the unravelling of the party, the Pawar family feud played out on stage on Wednesday as NCP factions headed by Sharad Pawar and his nephew held rival meetings at Yashwantrao Chavan Centre in south Mumbai and in Bhujbal Knowledge City in suburban Bandra, respectively.
While sources revealed that Election Commission has received a petition from Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar staking claim to Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the party symbol. On Wednesday, Ajit Pawar took a veiled dig at his uncle Sharad Pawar regarding his age that left the NCP Supremo’s party members and loyalists fuming and resulted into a chain of reactions.
Ajit Pawar urged Sharad Pawar to step down and give a chance to the new generation stating that even leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) retire at the age of 75.
The junior Pawar also has blamed the 82-year-old Sharad Pawar for NCP losing out on the chance to have a chief minister of Maharashtra despite having the support of a majority of MLAs in the year 2014.
Later in the day, NCP’s working president Supriya Sule in a stern response asked the deputy CM not to disrespect her father. “Disrespect us, but not our father (Sharad Pawar). This fight is against the Bharatiya Janata Party government. BJP is the most corrupt party in the country,” said Sule in Mumbai on wednesday.