In a stunning political development that sent shock waves through his party circles, Sharad Pawar on Tuesday announced his decision to step down as the president of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). Pawar founded and built NCP after breaking away from the Congress as a rebel leader in 1999 and remained at its helm for the last 24 years.
“After having been in active politics for a long time, it is essential for me to think that I should stop somewhere. That’s why I have decided to step down from my post as the NCP president,” the 82-year-old Pawar said, while speaking at a function organised to release the revised version of his political autobiography in Marathi “Lok Majhe Saangati”.
In a high-drama that unfolded after the announcement at the YB Chavan Centre in south Mumbai, hundreds of party workers rooted for Pawar withdrawing his resignation, by way of emotional outbursts, sit-dharna and threats to quit from party posts.
Earlier, agitated party workers raised slogans like “Sharad Pawar Zindabad”, “Take Back Your Decision”, “We Need You, The Country Needs You” and “We Are Orphaned”.
Pawar and his wife Pratibha, who was present when the former made the announcement, sat quietly and helplessly watched the drama that lasted for nearly two hours.
After his announcement, senior party leaders, including his nephew and leader of the Opposition in the State Assembly Ajit Pawar and State party president Jayant Patil, requested Pawar to reconsider his decision or even continue in the post till the working president of the party is appointed.
In their bid to prevail upon Pawar to change his decision, some workers lay in front of his car as he headed home from the venue. However, Pawar was in no mood to relent and left for his residence “Silver Oak” with his family members. Earlier, Pawar had told his senior party colleagues: “If they (party workers) are vehement in their demand, I am more stubborn”.
Notwithstanding the immense pressure mounted on him by his party leaders and workers, it is quite unlikely that he would reconsider his decision.
After announcing his decision to step down from his post, Pawar said that a committee of party leaders – comprising senior leaders like Praful Patel, Sunil Tatkare, KK Sharma, PC Chacko, Ajit Pawar, Jayant Patil, Supriya Sule, Chhagan Bhujbal, Dilip Walse-Patil, Anil Deshmukh, Rajesh Tope, Dr. Jitendra Awhad, Hasan Mushrif and Dhananjay Munde – would oversee the election/appointment of the new NCP president.
Addressing the agitated party leaders and workers and leader in senior Pawar’s presence, Ajit Pawar and senior NCP leader Praful Patel asked them to calm down, reconcile with the situation and allow him to go home. “We will meet him once again in the evening and try to convince him to reconsider his decision,” Ajit Pawar said.
“Pawar saheb may not be party president from now on, but he will definitely there to guide us and the party. We cannot imagine the NCP without Pawar saheb. We will seek his guidance in electing the party’s new president,” Ajit Pawar said.
Earlier, speaking at his autobiography release function, Sharad Pawar recalled his political journey lasting 63 years. “Maharashtra was founded on May 1, 1960 under the leadership of late YB Chavan. I became a member of the Pune Youth Congress on the same day. Later on, I worked for the party in various capacities.... Since 1967, I have been a member of Maharashtra Assembly, Council, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha”.
“Apart from being the Chief Minister of the State for four terms, Leader of the Opposition in the State Assembly and Lok Sabha, I worked as Defence Minister in the Narasimha Rao Government and later as the Agriculture Minister in the Manmohan Singh-led UPA Government. I have been people’s representative for the last 56 years,” Pawar said, as he made a special mention of late Chief Minister Vasantrao Naik, who encouraged him as a young legislator and inducted him in his Cabinet as Minister of State for Home and General Administration Department (GAD).
“I can never forget the amount of support and love I have received from the people during my six decades of public life,” he said.
“I am left with three more years of tenure as the Rajya Sabha member. During this period, I will concentrate on important State and national issues. But I will not accept any responsibility. I will devote more time for institutions like the Rayatshikshan Sansthan (Satara); Vidya Pratishthan (Baramati), Maratha Mandir (Mumbai), Nehru Centre (Mumbai), Mahatma Gandhi Sarvodaya Sangh (Urali Kanchan, Pune), vasantdada Sugar Institute (Pune) Shivnagar Vidya Prasarak Mandal (Baramati); and Akhil Bharatiya Maratha Shikshan Parishad (Pune) with which I am associated,” Pawar said.
“I may have stepped down as the NCP president, but I am not quitting public life. I will continue among the people. In fact, I will now get more time to work for the people... I will continue to strive for the growth of the party organization, to take the ideology and goals of the party to the people, and to serve the people, as they deem fit. Even though I am stepping down from the post of president, I am not retiring from public life,” Pawar said.
He said that he would continue attending public events, meetings, and would be available to all -- whether in Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Baramati or any other part of India”.
