I will never join hands with BJP, Pawar Sr tells party workers

Mumbai: Sharad Pawar, chief of the Nationalist Congress Party, on Tuesday told the party workers that he will never join hands with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and there should not be any confusion among them about his stand on this matter.

Pawar made the comment while interacting with a delegation of NCP leaders from Pune who went to meet him in Delhi on Monday evening.

Pawar’s comment assumes significance in the backdrop of the conspicuous silence being maintained by both the factions of the NCP for almost a month after deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar met Sharad Pawar three times in four days last month.

Ajit has also told party workers that his uncle and he were not separated. There were also rumours about Maharashtra NCP chief Jayant Patil shifting loyalty to the Ajit faction, which the former has vehemently denied.

On Monday, the Pune NCP unit held a protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi against the Centre over the ethnic violence in Manipur that has claimed more than 160 lives. Party MP’s such as Supriya Sule, Mohammed Faizal and Fauziya Khan also participated in it.

In the evening, all of them met the NCP chief who is also in Delhi for the monsoon session of the Parliament.

“Do not be under any confusion. We will not compromise no matter what. We will have to fight the BJP in the upcoming elections,” Pawar is said to have told the party workers during the interaction.

Confirming the same, Prashant Jagtap, NCP Pune city chief, said that Sharad Pawar told them he would not compromise with the BJP till his last breath.

“Pawar saheb told us that he will not compromise till his last breath and will never join hands with the BJP. They are trying to split the party, but he will not give in to any pressure. He said that he is ready to rebuild the party from scratch,” Jagtap said.

Pawar is also said to have asked them to start preparations as elections are approaching in the state.