NCP president and Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar reiterated Friday that he was not in the race for prime ministership. Pawar was talking to reporters after filing his nomination papers for the Rajya Sabha polls scheduled for February 7. Asked about Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde’s comments on his PM candidature, he said, “Let people say what they want to. I am not available.” “I accept age is catching up with me. I was eager to leave active politics, but have chosen to join the Upper House on the insistence of my colleagues,” the NCP chief said. Ducking a question on whether he will work under Rahul Gandhi as PM, he said the Congress has never projected anybody as PM before elections and hence it was too early to answer the question. Pawar also criticised Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal for his dharna. “The CM has a number of responsibilities and is the most important person in the state after the Governor. A difference of opinion is understandable and like every citizen, the CM also has the right to expression. But it is not correct to obstruct the government’s normal functioning,” he said. The NCP chief also downplayed the Aam Aadmi Party effect. “The AAP effect was limited to Delhi. The party will have limited impact in the Lok Sabha elections. The AAP reminds me of a youth party that came to power in Assam a few years back. Today, there is no sign of them in the state,” he said. Asked about Narendra Modi’s use of the development plank, Pawar said, “Development of a few areas in Gujarat does not mean development of the country. It’s like saying development of Pune and Nashik means the development of Maharashtra.”
