Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar on Saturday expressed hope that the BJP-led Opposition would ring the curtain down on a fierce controversy over his nephew Ajit Pawar’s “insensitive” remarks in view of the latter’s apology, even as the NCP chief asserted that it would be the party leadership and not the party MlAs who would take call on the demand for the Deputy Chief Minister’s resignation.
Breaking his silence over the controversy involving Ajit, Sr Pawar said: “Ajit’s comment at the Indapur rally was improper and unjustified. Any one occupying high posts in the Government should be careful om ther utterances. Given that they are dealing with issues of people, they should be extra careful in their statements. From that point of view, whatever Ajit said at that rally was totally unjustified”.
In his elaboration, Sr Pawar said: “Since the Deputy CM had tendered apology in both the Houses of the Maharashtra legislature and also to the people through the electronic media, the Opposition should accept his apology and admission of his guilt and put an end to the controversy”.
Replying to a question, Sr Pawar disagreed with deputy Chief Minister’s statement made at Satara in western Maharashtra a couple of days ago that he (Ajit) would take a call on the Opposition’s demand for his resignation after taking his party legislators into confidence.
“This issue (Ajit’s resignation) does not come under the purview of the MlAs. I would like to state that on his kind of issues, it is not the MlAs but the party leadership will take the decision after seeking recommendation of a high-level intra party vigilance committee (which will look into the alleged indiscipline of Ajit). The committee in question will also seek the views of party MlAs,” the NCP chief said.
Sr Pawar, who had chosen to keep mum on the Ajit controversy for a long time, had earlier tendered his apology on behalf of his nephew on mico-blogging site Twitter, saying:”It was good that Ajit Pawar apologised. Political leaders should take precautions while making public comments”.
A couple of days ago, Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray demanded to know as to why NCP chief Sharad Pawar was “silent” on the his ephew Ajitdada’s “objectionable” comments at a public rally at Indapur in Pune district on Saturday last.
At the Indapur rally, Ajitdada had ridiculed a farmer-activist from Solapur Prabhakar Deshmukh, who has for the past two been sitting on a dharna at Azad Maidan in south Mumbai demanding water from Ujani dam for irrigation in his district, by wondering: “Who is this DeshmukhIJ What is the point of his uposhanIJ Will it yield waterIJ When there is no water where will I arrange water fromIJ Should I urinate (in the dam)IJ”
In another equally controversial comment made at the same rally, Ajitdada had said: “I have also come to know that because of power load-shedding in Maharashtra, there has been an increase in the birth of children in the state. What else you can expect people to do, if there is shortage of power in the state”.