As senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar, after months of speculation and dithering, finally joined the ruling Eknath Shinde-BJP dispensation along with other NCP leaders in Maharashtra, party president Sharad Pawar on Sunday distanced himself from his nephew’s rebellion and vowed to rebuild his party to play a vital role in the Opposition.
Unruffled by the bewildering turn of events, the octogenarian NCP chief, a past master in tiding political crises, said he did not endorse his nephew’s actions, while stating that things would be clear in the next few days.
“Some days before, Prime Minister [Narendra] Modi had targeted the NCP [in Bhopal] by remarking that our party wallowed in corruption while mentioning the Maharashtra Cooperative Bank scam and the Maharashtra irrigation scam. Today, I am happy that the PM’s party — the BJP — has sworn in some members of the NCP as part of the government… I am thankful to the PM for having freed the NCP from his accusations,” quipped Mr. Pawar.
