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 (family)?" Sharad Pawar asked.
Now it is being said that I broke the family. It is a funny thing to hear, he added.
The veteran politician underlined that he never created a rift in the Pawar clan and everyone listened to him as the family head.
"I never did anything by going against anyone and will never do so. Going forward, regardless of anyone taking any stand, I will not go on the wrong track. I will ensure that my family will remain united," Sharad Pawar added.
Targeting Ajit, the Pawar senior referred to the former's speech at a rally.
"It was said that I created a rift in the family. The sin of breaking the family was never taught by my parents and brothers. All my brothers, including Anantrao Pawar (father of Ajit Pawar), lived with me," he added.
Sharad Pawar recalled how he concentrated on politics in Maharashtra and at the national level, while domestic issues and farming were taken care of by his family members.
"I could concentrate on my job because of the blessings of my brothers. I won't discriminate against their children," he added.
He highlighted the "change of language" used by Ajit Pawar from the campaigning for the Baramati Lok Sabha seat to the latest emotive pitch.
Ajit Pawar's wife Sunetra Pawar lost her maiden electoral contest from the Baramati Lok Sabha constituency to her sister-in-law and Sharad Pawar's daughter Supriya Sule.
"During Lok Sabha polls, people were told (by Ajit) not to fall prey to emotion. People were told that Pawar Saheb (Sharad Pawar) would shed tears and seek votes (for his daughter Supriya Sule)," Sharad Pawar said.
"You might have seen in yesterday's speech.....", he said even as he took out a handkerchief pretending to wipe tears, mimicking Ajit.
Pawar claimed he offered positions as ministers to several leaders but didn't entrust Supriya Sule with a single position.
The Pawar senior also said he was dragged to the court as the name and symbol of the NCP founded by him were allotted to the other faction.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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