Breaking one’s party for power not good: Pawar attacks Dilip Walse Patil

PTI, Oct 31, 2024, 2:33 PM IST

NCP (SP) Chief Sharad Pawar on Thursday accused Nationalist Congress Party leaders, including minister Dilip Walse Patil, of breaking the NCP for the sake of power, calling the move not appropriate.

Pawar was addressing party workers and supporters of Devdatta Nikam, fielded by NCP (SP) in Ambegaon against sitting MLA Walse Patil who has represented the constituency in the Pune district multiple times.

Nikam visited Pawar in Baramati on Thursday.

Pawar said the NCP fought unitedly in the 2019 Maharashtra assembly polls and won 54 seats.

“We formed the (MVA) government and in that government, gave representation to two of our colleagues from the district. One was from Ambegaon and the other was from Baramati (referring to Walse Patil and Ajit Pawar),” he said.

The NCP founder said they also gave more representation to the Indapur tehsil in Pune district as their representative (Dattatray Bharne) was given a ministerial berth.

It was the party that gave powers to these leaders and the party’s success was due to the hard of NCP workers, he said.

“The party came to power due to that success because of which they became ministers. But some of our colleagues did not remember this. Some of our colleagues took away 44 of the 54 MLAs and joined the other side and created a wrong picture in the state,” said Pawar.

He was referring to the bitter split in NCP in 2023 after Ajit Pawar and MLAs loyal to him sided with the BJP and Shiv Sena to become part of the ruling Mahayuti alliance. Ajit Pawar subsequently got the party name and its clock symbol from the Election Commission.

“They got the power they desired. It is not that they had not got the power earlier but the move to break the party to obtain power was not appropriate,” he said.

Slamming MLA Walse Patil, Pawar said that the representative of Ambegaon tehsil was also a part of that decision to go after power by breaking the party.

“Ambegaon tehsil and people from Ambegaon were not part of that decision. But unfortunately, the representative of Ambegaon became a part of it. People were shocked as they had never thought of this,” claimed Pawar.

The octogenarian politician said since he was occupied with work at the national level, he had given major responsibilities to some of the state leaders whom he trusted, but they took advantage of it.

Recalling his association with Walse Patil’s father Dattatray Walse Patil, Pawar said the latter had requested him to take the minister, who was then studying in Mumbai, under his wing.

“I encouraged him by taking him along. He was taken into the party, given an opportunity in the state assembly, and was made a minister. Besides that, he was given an opportunity to be a part of some institutions headed by me,” Pawar said.

“Despite that, these people took a different stand. I do not want to talk about that,” he said.

Pawar asked NCP (SP) workers and Nikam’s supporters who had come to Baramati from Ambegaon to rally behind him in the upcoming assembly elections and ensure his victory.