File photo of former Maharashtra Chief Minister, Sharad Pawar
The Shiv Sena has criticised former union minister Sharad Pawar for an admission that he had rejected underworld don Dawood Ibrahim's offer to surrender, because of his conditions.
Dawood Ibrahim is the main accused in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts that killed over 300 people.
In an editorial in its mouthpiece Saamna, the Sena said today, "If there is a will, he can still be dragged back to India. It is not so difficult. American commandos went into Pakistan and killed Osama bin Laden. They did not wait for him to surrender nor did they keep on negotiating terms with him."
Mr Pawar, 74, had said, "It is true that Ram Jethmalani had given a proposal about Dawood's willingness to return. But there was a condition that Dawood should not be kept in jail. Rather he should be allowed to remain in a house. This was not acceptable. We said he had to face the law."
The offer was made in the 1990s when Mr Pawar was the chief minister of the Congress government in the state. He later left to form his own party, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in 1999.
The Sena also took a dig at its ally BJP, saying: "In speeches in the assembly and outside, (Gopinath) Munde used to assert that we will drag Dawood to India when we get the Home portfolio."
The party targeted political parties for focusing on controversies linked to former IPL chairman Lalit Modi rather than a "traitor" like Dawood making deals for his surrender. "If you cannot bring back Dawood, at least do not keep talking about him. These talks help these gangsters increase their criminal activities," the editorial said.