Lok Sabha polls: Sharad Pawar pans Ajit Pawar, says he chose wrong path by joining hands with BJP

Notably, Ajit Pawar is the sitting Baramati MLA.

Sharad Pawar said for some years he did not pay attention to the problems of Baramatikars. “I left the responsibility of looking after Baramati to our party leaders but told them that if they face any hurdle in resolving people’s problems, they should approach me… However, some people took an extreme stand and joined hands with the BJP,” he lamented.

Sharad Pawar also said that he helped Gujarat in his capacity as the Union agriculture minister when Narendra Modi was the chief minister.

“That time, I did not bother to think which party he (Narendra Modi) came from… My only concern was to help the farmers of Gujarat through our policies. One day, Modi came to Baramati and said I hand-held him into politics. And now, Modi is taking a different stand. Those who criticise him are being put in jail. This is not democracy, this is a dictatorship. Today, the entire power is in the hands of Modi. We will have to free ourselves from this power,” he said.

Taking potshots at nephew Ajit Pawar, Sharad Pawar said, “Who founded the NCP? Who ensured his (Ajit Pawar’s) victory? Who gave him a ministerial post?”

Further, taking an apparent jibe at Ajit Pawar for repeatedly suggesting that he should retire from politics on account of his advanced age, Sharad Pawar said, “I am an 84-year-old warrior. Don’t look at my age, look at my work. I am not going to stop. I have been a chief minister four times and a Union agriculture minister… I have been working for 56 years. People have not given me even a day’s break. I will continue to work for the people till my last breath.”

The Baramati Lok Sabha seat will go to the polls on May 7. The seat is expected to witness a close fight between sitting MP Supriya Sule and Ajit Pawar’s wife and Mahayuti nominee Sunetra Pawar.