Willing to take along anyone who subscribes to the ideology of Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Jyotiba Phule and B.R. Ambedkar. But he will never accept opportunists who joined hands with the BJP: NCP founder Sharad Pawar
MUMBAI: More than a month after indicating that the two Nationalist Congress Party factions may reunite, NCP founder Sharad Pawar on Tuesday said he will never accept “opportunists” who sided with the BJP. Addressing his party workers in Pimpri-Chinchwad, Pawar said he is willing to take along anyone who subscribes to the ideology of Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Jyotiba Phule and B.R. Ambedkar. But he will never accept opportunists who joined hands with the BJP, he said.
Referring to a comment made by an earlier speaker, the senior Pawar said “Someone speaking here just mentioned the need to take everyone along. There is no problem taking everyone along, but who is everyone? I am willing to take along individuals who subscribe to the ideology of Gandhi-Nehru, Phule and Ambedkar. But if anyone is talking about joining hands with the BJP for the sake of power, then his thought does not belong to the Congress.”
Without naming anyone, Sharad Pawar also said he will not encourage opportunistic politics. “Our party people can have relationships with anyone. But an association with the BJP does not fit with the Congress ideology. I do not want to encourage the politics of opportunism,” he said.
Mr. Pawar caused a stir in Maharashtra politics by indicating that two factions of NCP could reunite. Supriya Sule and Ajit Pawar should decide about both the NCP groups coming together, he had said on May 8. There was a strong buzz in the state politics about the reunion since then even though leaders from both camps denied any discussion going on. Rohit Pawar, Sharad Pawar’s grand nephew, had said that the NCP founder’s statement regarding the merger could be a political ploy. “No one really knows what Pawar saheb is thinking. When he makes a decision, it’s usually surprising and unexpected. Even if he says something political, the outcome might be different,” Rohit had said.
The Ajit Pawar faction, which has been recognised by the the Election Commission of India as the “real” NCP, has maintained that it has not changed its “secular” ideology, but its future political course will be with the BJP as an alliance partner of the National Democratic Alliance.
Ajit Pawar refused to respond to his uncle’s “opportunist” comment. “We live in democracy. Here everyone is free express their opinion,” he said.
