Mumbai: Taking on Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on Sunday said the BJP leader was unaware about past events and his judgement of Pawar sprang from sheer ignorance.
“When I formed the government in 1977, the BJP, in the form of Jansangh, was with me. Uttamrao Patil was the Deputy Chief Minister. There was Advani (Hashu). The government formed was inclusive, taking everyone along. He (Fadnavis) must have been in primary school then and hence know nothing about it,” said Pawar. He was speaking to reporters in Baramati.
Fadnavis had retorted to Pawar’s attack on CM Eknath Shinde, where the latter was labelled a traitor. Fadnavis had recalled how Pawar himself broke away from Congress in 1977 and formed his own government. “If he (Shinde) does it, it is backstabbing, but if Pawar does it, it’s diplomacy?” Fadnavis had said.
The NCP chief responded to comments by Fadnavis saying he spoke out of ignorance and there was no further need to comment on it. But he lashed out at Fadnavis over his claim that the NCP uses OBC persons and leaders for show.
“The first state president of NCP was Chhagan Bhujbal. Then Madhukar Pichad. Later Sunil Tatkare. Who are they? I don’t know how much he reads, but people notice such things,” said Pawar.
Fadnavis, on Sunday, had said that NCP chooses OBC faces because he needs them, and in reality holds no favourable sentiment about OBCs.
