As 16 show up, Sharad Pawar says let other side be happy, symbol does not decide fate

The show of strength by the Sharad Pawar group was attended by 16 MLAs and office-bearers of the party’s frontal cells. The group collected affidavits from the workers, reposing trust in the leadership of Sharad Pawar and Jayant Patil.

“If someone is claiming that they will take the symbol, let me be clear that it won’t happen. However, I must tell you that I have fought on many symbols… Let me be clear that the symbol is not going anywhere. But the symbol does not decide the fate,” he said.

Pawar pointed out that his photo was being used on posters by the Ajit Pawar group. “Have you seen posters and banners of those people? My photo is the largest. That is because they know that they have nothing else to bank on,” he said.

Taking a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said: “PM Modi held a rally in Bhopal last week and accused the NCP of corruption adding up to thousands of crores. He mentioned scams in irrigation and the Maharashtra state cooperative bank. The PM usually makes a statement only after taking due information. The one who leads the nation must be careful, and should not make wild allegations. If you really think the NCP is a corrupt party, why did you include the NCP in Sunday’s swearing-in ceremony? It means that these people say anything, without evidence,” he said.

Differentiating between the Hindutva of Shiv Sena and the BJP, Pawar said: “The Hindutva of Shiv Sena is of bringing all castes together, while that of the BJP is divisive, manuvadi and poisonous. The state recently faced communal riots. The one who plays divisive politics cannot be a patriot and we cannot join them.”

Pawar said the Shiv Sena had joined hands with the Congress after Emergency, and hence the formation of the MVA was not surprising.

He said the NCP did support the BJP in Nagaland. “The Northeast is on the border with China, where political decisions need to be taken with due care. We, therefore, supported the BJP from outside. Unlike in Maharashtra where you are sitting inside,” he said.

Pawar said the current ruling dispensation does not believe in communication. “We are not in power, but we are among the people. Even if we want to solve the problems of the people, lack of communication makes it difficult… We decided to start communication within the Opposition. The moment this happened, the ruling party became uncomfortable,” he said.