Didn't get opportunity as I am not Sharad Pawar's son: Ajit Pawar

Pune: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Thursday said just because he is not the son of NCP (SP) head Sharad Pawar, he did not get political opportunity.

NCP leader Ajit Pawar said after the age of 80, one should give opportunity to new people.

On his uncle Sharad Pawar's statement that discussions had been held with the BJP but the decision to go with it was not made, Ajit Pawar said he is at least admitting that discussions were held and added he was witness to the talks.

In July last year, Ajit Pawar and eight other Nationalist Congress Party MLAs joined the Eknath Shinde-BJP government in Maharashtra, leading to a split in the NCP founded by Sharad Pawar (83).

Addressing a rally at Shirur in Pune district, Ajit Pawar said, "I am also above 60. Do we have a chance or not? Are we behaving wrongly? That is why we get emotional. Pawar saheb is also our 'daivat' (like a God) and there is no doubt about it, but every person has his time. After crossing 80, new people should be given an opportunity."

"Had I been the son of NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar would I have not been given the opportunity? Yes, I would have got the opportunity. Just because I am not his son, I have not got the opportunity. What kind of justice is this?" he asked.

The deputy CM was campaigning for NCP's Shirur Lok Sabha seat candidate Shivajirao Adhalrao Patil.

Baramati in Pune district is the bastion of Pawars.

Ajit Pawar's wife contested the May 7 Lok Sabha poll from Baramati against sister-in-law and NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule, the daughter of Sharad Pawar.

The deputy CM said he has worked hard in Pune, brought the district cooperative bank under his party's control.

"I got the Pune Zilla Parishad under our control. Pimpri Chinchwad (in Pune district) was never in our control, but from 1992 till 2017, the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation was brought under the party's control and changed the face of the industrial town," he said.

He asked the people to come and see Baramati and the development he has done there.

Talking to reporters, Ajit Pawar also spoke about senior BJP leader and state cabinet minister Chandrakant Patil's statement (during the Lok Sabha poll campaign in March) that he and his party workers want to defeat Sharad Pawar.

"He (Patil) should not have made those remarks. (After that statement), I told Chandrakant dada to look into the BJP's work in Pune and he (Ajit Pawar) and his party workers would look into the Baramati Lok Sabha seat. He should not have made that statement but no idea why he said that. But later, he never spoke a word," he said.

Latching on to Patil's statement, Sule had accused the BJP for conspiring to finish Sharad Pawar politically.

Asked about Sharad Pawar's statement that discussions had been held with the BJP but the decision to go with it was not made, Ajit Pawar said he is at least admitting that discussions were held.

"If you did not want to go, then why were discussions held? If you did not want to go with the BJP, why six meetings were held in Delhi with senior leadership (of BJP)," Ajit Pawar said.

"I and (NCP leader) Praful Patel are witness to those meetings. (BJP leader and deputy CM) Devendraji was also present," he said.

After coming back to Mumbai, the decision was altered and a decision to go with the Shiv Sena was taken, he added.

Sharad Pawar in an interview to The Indian Express has said that in the next couple of years, several regional parties will associate more closely with the Congress, or even merge with it.

Responding to it, Ajit Pawar said he has been seeing statements of his uncle from close quarters as he has worked with him closely.

"Sometimes, he makes statements to create a state of confusion. He also talked about Uddhavji but I do not think Uddhvaji will merge his party with the Congress as I have seen him and his style of working during the MVA government," he said.

The Shiv Sena (UBT) led by former CM Uddhav Thackeray, NCP (SP) and Congress are constituents of the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) in the state.

Ajit Pawar said when his uncle wants to take any decision, he conveys it to other party colleagues and portrays that it was taken collectively.

"When we took the decision to join the BJP-Shiv Sena government, at that time, he (Sharad Pawar) was the only person who was opposing it. He even asked us to go (with the ruling side) and expressed his wish to retire," he said.