PUNE/ KOLHAPUR: In a U-turn within a few hours, NCP chief Sharad Pawar told mediapersons in Satara on Friday afternoon that no more chances will be given to Ajit Pawar to “correct his mistake of going against the party’s policies” by joining hands with BJP. This was in sharp contrast to the NCP patriarch’s remarks in the morning in Baramati, where he had denied any split in the party and had acknowledged that his nephew was a leader of the party.
In Satara, when mediapersons asked Sharad Pawar whether he would accept Ajit Pawar if he returned to the parent party, the former referred to the short-lived government headed by Devendra Fadnavis in November 2019, when his nephew took oath as deputy CM, only to resign a few days later. “If someone takes a stand and wants to correct himself, the party gives that opportunity for correction,” he said.
Elaborating on the early morning swearing-in episode in November 2019, Pawar senior said that when Ajit Pawar “accepted his mistake and assured that he will not take such a step again”, the party gave him one chance to correct the mistake. “However, nobody should ask for multiple chances to correct mistakes and no multiple chances should be given for repetitive mistakes. We have taken a stand that no more chances would be given (to Ajit),” Pawar said.
Just hours before, when asked about his daughter Supriya Sule’s statement that there was no split in the party and Ajit was still a leader of NCP, Sharad Pawar said in Baramati: “It is true, there is no dispute about it.”
“There is no split in the party. If a big section of leaders breaks away from the party at the national level, then it is called a split. Such a situation is not there in our party. A group of leaders have taken a different stand. And, in democracy, they have the right to take a different stand, but this cannot be called a split in the party,” Pawar added.
Reacting to his uncle’s statements, Ajit Pawar said in Pimpri Chinchwad: “I do not want to comment. I will continue to work as part of the NDA government for the betterment of the state as after a long time, the state has got a government which has the support of so many MLAs.”
In Satara, when mediapersons asked Sharad Pawar whether he would accept Ajit Pawar if he returned to the parent party, the former referred to the short-lived government headed by Devendra Fadnavis in November 2019, when his nephew took oath as deputy CM, only to resign a few days later. “If someone takes a stand and wants to correct himself, the party gives that opportunity for correction,” he said.
Elaborating on the early morning swearing-in episode in November 2019, Pawar senior said that when Ajit Pawar “accepted his mistake and assured that he will not take such a step again”, the party gave him one chance to correct the mistake. “However, nobody should ask for multiple chances to correct mistakes and no multiple chances should be given for repetitive mistakes. We have taken a stand that no more chances would be given (to Ajit),” Pawar said.
Just hours before, when asked about his daughter Supriya Sule’s statement that there was no split in the party and Ajit was still a leader of NCP, Sharad Pawar said in Baramati: “It is true, there is no dispute about it.”
“There is no split in the party. If a big section of leaders breaks away from the party at the national level, then it is called a split. Such a situation is not there in our party. A group of leaders have taken a different stand. And, in democracy, they have the right to take a different stand, but this cannot be called a split in the party,” Pawar added.
Reacting to his uncle’s statements, Ajit Pawar said in Pimpri Chinchwad: “I do not want to comment. I will continue to work as part of the NDA government for the betterment of the state as after a long time, the state has got a government which has the support of so many MLAs.”