MUMBAI: Sharad Pawar on Wednesday accused BJP of double standards and the Ajit Pawar camp of opportunism, but steered clear of personal attacks on his nephew.
Despite a whip, the senior Pawar was flanked by only 15 of his 53 legislators at the meeting; 3 more are said to have extended support but were not present.In his speech which lasted over an hour, the NCP founder seemed unflustered by the rebellion, insisting he led the real NCP and no one could take the party symbol away.He said the alliance with BJP would prove to be a misadventure for his former colleagues.
Pawar said these legislators must recall history.
In states where BJP has engineered a split or joined with regional parties, the government completely failed.
In Punjab, while BJP was rejected, AAP replaced it.
A similar situation was seen in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Bihar, he said.On his feet throughout the talk, Pawar targeted PM Modi, accusing him of duplicity.
He said a week ago, none other than the PM alleged that NCP was involved in a Rs 70,000-crore irrigation scam; yet days later, NCP members were inducted in the Maharashtra cabinet.
In Baramati, Modi said when he entered politics, he took guidance from me.
But during campaign, he made serious allegations against me.Stood by Bhujbal despite him being in jail, now he's taken me for a ride: Pawar"Today, in all their banners and posters, my picture is displayed prominently.
Tyala maahit aahe, tyancha sikka khota aahe (they know their coin is a fake).
So they are using my picture,'' he said.Pawar said it was not wrong to leave the party or form a separate group, but it could have been done in a dignified manner through dialogue.
The defectors should have taken their electorate into confidence.
"If we are keen to protect democracy, dialogue is very essential," Pawar said.Pawar said defections were not new to him.
A few decades ago, out of 69 legislators in his party, 62 had quit while he was abroad.
"When I returned, I found I was left with only seven legislators.
We rebuilt the party and in the next election, 70 of our candidates were elected and barring a few, all the defectors were defeated by a huge margin," he said.03:42Sharad Pawar on Ajit Pawar's meeting: 'Those using my image are aware that they have nothing else'Pawar came down particularly heavily on his trusted aide Chhagan Bhujbal, saying he took him for a ride.
"Three days ago, he called me to discuss the current political situation.
When I asked him about politics, he said I will do a ground assessment and get back to you.
A few hours later, he was seen being sworn in with Ajit Pawar...
He was in jail for a prolonged period.
Many NCP leaders told me that since he was in jail, he should not be considered for a seat in the assembly.
I ignored all the objections, stood by him.
We not only ensured that he was elected, we inducted him into the state cabinet.
So be on your guard, If someone says he will get back to you, never believe him," he said.The speech was Sharad Pawar's first public meeting in the city since Ajit Pawar engineered a split in the party.
According to sources, out of 53 NCP legislators, at least 42 have joined hands with Ajit Pawar.
The Chavan Centre meeting was attended by some key NCP leaders, including his daughter Supriya Sule and state NCP president Jayant Patil.Pawar also expressed surprise over the violence in Nashik between rival NCP factions laying claim to a party office.
He said the rebels were free to shift their loyalties but could not insist on usurping the party and its machinery in the process.
"It is anti-democratic.
One cannot suddenly claim the party name and symbol, there is a legal process for it.
When I formed a new party, we were in Tilak Bhavan, the Congress headquarters in Mumbai, but we immediately left the office," Pawar said, referring to his decision to walk out of the Congress in 1999.