‘My colleagues have made me, so I am’: Ajit Pawar says he’s NCP national president

He was speaking after holding a meeting with representatives of Ganesh mandals of Pune to ensure that the ten-day festival is celebrated without incident.

During his show of strength in his home Assembly constituency of Baramati on Saturday, Ajit Pawar said the NCP had lost the opportunity to grab the post of chief minister twice, but he did not want to talk about it. He had refrained from mentioning his uncle during the speech while speaking about his political journey and did not use pictures of the veteran leader on hoardings at the rally.

The faction led by Ajit Pawar has informed the Election Commission that he is the national president of the NCP and has staked claim to the its name and symbol, while the faction led by Sharad Pawar has been maintaining that there was not split in the NCP and that Sharad Pawar is the party’s national president and Jayant Patil state president.

On his frequently mentioning Prime Minister Narendra Modi while making no reference to his uncle Sharad Pawar, the deputy chief minister said, “In the recent times as per my conscience, what I have seen at the state and national levels is that there is no one at the national level for the kind of work Narendra Modi is doing in 24 hours or the way he takes decisions by keeping certain objectives in mind, like the way the Indian economy should be worth five trillion dollars in certain time. The economy is fifth largest and the aim is to be the third largest. Or the way work on national highways, railways and airports is taking place under his leadership. The way he is getting responses in a foreign country is a proud thing for all. The way he is working from morning to evening. Today, I feel that there is no other person like him at the national level, so I praise him.”

On whether he does not think Sharad Pawar is a national leader, he said, “I am commenting on the situation in respective time. Don’t try to land me in trouble with questions. Everyone has their own era. What one is doing actively now, will the person do the same after 40 years? They will play with grandchildren or great-grandchildren. The objective of saying this is that the leadership of Narendra Modi now is praiseworthy and it is a fact.”

About BJP leaders’ criticism of Sharad Pawar, the deputy chief minister said, “I cannot talk about the opinion of others. I make my opinions clear. In political life, there are comments made against each other.”

Asked about the controversial issues raised by minister Chhagan Bhujbal against Sharad Pawar during a rally in Beed, “I couldn’t hear at the rally what he spoke but noticed it on social media lateron.It is my clear opinion that during political life, one should present one’s stand properly and there should not be any doubt about it, but while doing so one should take care that the feelings of others are not hurt.”

The deputy chief minister demanded strict action against the culprits of the incident in which Dalit youths were beaten up in Ahmednagar for alleged theft. “No one has the right to take law into their hands. I will seek detailed information from the police and discuss it with Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. The action against the culprit should be so strict that no one will ever do that again. The accused has been arrested and a case has been registered, but I want that strict provisions of IPC (Indian Penal Code) should be invoked against the accused,” he said.