Pune, Dec 13 (PTI) NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar’s mother Sunanda Pawar on Friday said she is echoing the sentiments of the people of Maharashtra and party workers when she speaks about the need for factions led by Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar to unite.
A united family is strength, she said, adding that generations of the Pawar household have stayed together through thick and thin all these years.
The Nationalist Congress Party split in July last year after Ajit Pawar joined the Eknath Shinde government. The Election Commission of India later gave him the party name and ‘clock’ symbol, while Sharad Pawar’s faction was christened NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar).
The two factions have since been bitter rivals, the acrimony marked by stinging statements against each other and peaking with duels in Lok Sabha and assembly polls for Baramati, the family’s turf for over half a century.
Speaking to reporters, Sunanda Pawar said Ajit Pawar, the state’s deputy CM, his son Parth Pawar and her son Rohit Pawar had all come together to wish the opposition stalwart when he turned 84 on Thursday. The celebrations were held at Sharad Pawar’s 6, Janpath residence in Delhi.
Asserting that she did not see anything political in this show of unity from the family, Sunanda Pawar said, “As far as sentiments of party worker are concerned, they are right in their belief that if the party stays united instead of remaining bifurcated, it will have its strength all over the state. I respect these feelings of party workers.” She was responding to media queries about the general feeling among party workers of the need for a united NCP.
“Party workers are important for the party and the leadership should understand their sentiments,” she asserted, though she added that she had nothing to do with politics and had been working in the social field all these years.
“Except for taking part in the poll campaign, I keep away from politics. So it is purely the decision of Ajit dada and Pawar saheb and their parties on what step needs to be taken (for unification). I am sure both will take the right decision,” she said when asked if the two leaders would consider such sentiments.
“A united family is strength and the way people feel the family should once again come together, I too feel the same,” Sunanda Pawar added.
While the NCP (SP) fared better in the Lok Sabha polls with eight seats in Maharashtra against one for the Ajit Pawar-led group, the assembly polls saw NCP emerging victorious on 41 seats, while the Sharad Pawar faction had to be content with wins in 10 constituencies. PTI SPK BNM
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