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Striking a combative stance despite losing the top leadership of his party, NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Sunday targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying he wanted to “credit” Modi for being instrumental in a group of NCP’s MLAs taking oath as ministers in Maharashtra along with Ajit Pawar as deputy chief minister and joining the Shinde-Fadnavis government.
“Two days back, the Prime Minister made a statement. That statement was against NCP and the Congress. At that time, he mentioned two things. He said NCP was involved in corruption. While stating this, he also also made mention of the state cooperative bank. He also made reference to the complaint regarding irrigation…I am happy that he has given oath to some members of the NCP. It means there was no truth in the allegations that he made. He has freed all of them from the allegations that he made. And for this, I want to thank the Prime Minister,” said Pawar at a press conference in Pune minutes after Ajit Pawar took oath as the Deputy Chief Minister along with some of his colleagues who were made ministers in the Shinde-Fadnavis government.
Stating that he was not worried about the latest development in the party, Pawar said,”I am not worried…I will go before the people and rebuild the party….I am worried about the future of those who took oath.”
Pawar said on July 6, he had decided to hold a meeting of some prominent party leaders. “We were going to discuss some issues related to the organisation. Before that some party members took a different line. They declared that they were the real NCP. In next two-three days, it will become what stand some party members, especially MLAs, adopt,” he said.
Pawar said some of those who were present at the swearing in ceremony had contacted me. “They told me that they were invited for the ceremony and their signatures were taken. They clarified that their stance is different…I am not going to say anything about it now..Whatever they are saying, they should place it before the people. And only then I will agree that they have taken a different stand,” he said.
Pawar said whatever happened today was not new to him. “I have faced this in 1980 as well. As many as 58 MLAs had been elected along with me at that time. After one month, 52 left me. And I become the leader of five MLAs. It did not deter me as I started rebuilding the party. In the elections held subsequently, as many as 69 of our MLAs were elected. Of those who left me, only four were elected and rest all lost….What I saw in 1980 is being repeated again. I will see how I can rebuild the party….I have full faith in the people of Maharashtra,” he said.
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