Rahul Gandhi meets NCP chief Sharad Pawar at his residence in Delhi; extends support

New Delhi [India], July 6 (ANI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday held a meeting with Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar at the latter’s residence in Delhi and extended his full support to NCP amid a split in the party.

NCP working president and MP Supriya Sule, Maharashtra LoP Jitendra Awhad and other NCP leaders were also present.
Talking to the media, NCP leader Sonia Duhan said that Rahul Gandhi has extended his full support to NCP and the opposition parties are also standing with them

“Rahul Gandhi in his meeting with Sharad Pawar said that his full support is with NCP. He also said that Congress is 100 per cent with us and the opposition parties are also standing with NCP”, Sonia Duhan said.

Notably, NCP supremo Sharad Pawar is in Delhi for a national executive meeting.

13 NCP leaders, including PC Chacko, Jitendra Awhad, Fauzia Khan and Vandana Chavan reached Delhi to attend the meeting.

Ahead of the crucial meeting, several posters appeared in front of the NCP office in support of Pawar.

Some read: “In the fight of truth and lie, the entire country is with Sharad Pawar.”

“India’s history is such that it has never forgiven those who have betrayed,” read another one put up outside Pawar’s residence in Delhi.

However, later it was removed by the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC).

With the NCP witnessing the unravelling of the party, the Pawar family feud played out on stage on Wednesday as NCP factions headed by Sharad Pawar and his nephew held rival meetings at Yashwantrao Chavan Centre in south Mumbai and in Bhujbal Knowledge City in suburban Bandra, respectively.

While sources revealed that Election Commission has received a petition from Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar staking claim to Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the party symbol.

The sources said the Election Commission has also received a caveat from Jayant Patil, who is with the Sharad Pawar group. He also informed the panel that they have initiated a disqualification process against nine MLAs who joined the Eknath Shinde-BJP government in the state on Sunday.

The politics of Maharashtra is on the boil since Sunday as senior NCP leader Ajit Pawar took oath as the state’s deputy chief minister.

Ajit Pawar joined the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government with 8 other MLAs and has claimed control over the Nationalist Congress Party.

On Wednesday, Ajit Pawar took a veiled dig at his uncle Sharad Pawar regarding his age that left the NCP Supremo’s party members and loyalists fuming, resulting in a chain of reactions.

Ajit Pawar urged Sharad Pawar to step down and give a chance to the new generation stating that even leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) retire at the age of 75.

The junior Pawar also has blamed the 82-year-old Sharad Pawar for NCP losing out on the chance to have a chief minister of Maharashtra despite having the support of a majority of MLAs in the year 2014.

“You portrayed me as a villain in front of everyone. I still have deep respect for him (Sharad Pawar)…But you tell me, IAS officers retire at 60…even in politics – BJP leaders retire at 75. You can see the example of LK Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi…That allows the new generation to rise…”

“You (Sharad Pawar) give us your blessings…The other day, he went to YB Chavan memorial…I have also been there…but you are 83, aren’t you going to stop?…Give us your blessings and we will pray that you live a long life,” said the Deputy chief minister while addressing party legislators and other workers in Bandra here.

Later in the day, NCP’s working president Supriya Sule in a stern response asked the deputy CM not to disrespect her father.

“Disrespect us, but not our father (Sharad Pawar). This fight is against the Bharatiya Janata Party government. BJP is the most corrupt party in the country,” said Sule in Mumbai on Wednesday.

“I saw the 2019 elections, this 84-year-old man fought and won, age is just a number,” Sule said further. Meanwhile, Anil Deshmukh, NCP leader and a loyalist Sharad Pawar also came for rescue and ended up calling his party chief a “Lion” and said, “82 saal ka sher abhi bhi zinda hai,” (82-year-old Lion is still alive). (ANI)