Pune:
Nationalist Congress Celebration (SP) president Sharad Pawar on Friday sought to downplay his closed-door assembly with estranged nephew and Maharashtra deputy CM Ajit Pawar in Pune, and asserted no challenge associated to their respective events was mentioned.
Chatting with reporters in Kolhapur metropolis, the previous Union agriculture minister insisted dialogue on the assembly solely centred round a sugar trade venture.
Requested about the opportunity of rival NCP factions, headed by him and Ajit Pawar, coming collectively and if this challenge was touched up within the assembly, the veteran politician asserted no party-related matter was mentioned.
“Within the assembly, Ajit Pawar, myself and other people related to the (sugar trade) venture have been current,” he stated.
The 2 politicians have been in Pune to attend the annual common physique assembly of the Vasantdada Sugar Institute (VSI), which is headed by the senior Pawar.
Deputy CM Ajit Pawar is a member of the Pune-based VSI, a distinguished analysis institute of the sugar trade, and attended its annual common physique assembly for the primary time for the reason that July 2023 cut up within the Nationalist Congress Celebration (NCP).
In the course of the AGM, Ajit Pawar sat at an arm’s size from his uncle, who heads the opposition NCP (SP). Whereas the 2 have been supposed to take a seat subsequent to one another as per the preliminary association, the deputy CM, who leads the ruling NCP, moved his nameplate one chair away, permitting Maharashtra Cooperation Minister Babasaheb Patil to take a seat between them.
Requested concerning the change within the seating association, Sharad Pawar clarified Babasaheb Patil needed to talk about sure issues in the course of the occasion and that’s the reason he (state minister) sat subsequent to him (senior Pawar).
The same rationalization was given by the junior Pawar.
“Babasaheb needed to talk to Pawar saheb. I can converse to him (Sharad Pawar) anytime. Even when I sat one chair away, my voice is loud sufficient for somebody additional away to listen to,” the deputy CM defined on Thursday when requested concerning the seat rearrangement.
On the VSI occasion, Ajit Pawar and NCP (SP) state unit president Jayant Patil, each political rivals, have been additionally seen discussing one thing.
The NCP suffered a cut up in July 2023 when Ajit Pawar broke away from his uncle and joined the Shiv Sena-BJP authorities headed by then-Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
(Aside from the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV employees and is printed from a syndicated feed.)