Ajit Pawar, the deputy chief minister of Maharashtra, claimed nothing much happened during his meeting with his uncle and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar in Pune last week.
Speaking to reporters in Kolhapur, he said there was no need to think too much about the meeting. Pawar Saheb (Sharad Pawar) has already clarified. The media is giving different kinds of publicity to a meeting that took place between family members, leading to confusion. There is no reason to think that anything unusual transpired at the meeting, he said.
On Saturday, political circles were abuzz after a secret meeting took place between Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar at a businessman's residence in Pune. Senior Nationalist Congress Party leader Jayant Patil was also present. Asked about him leaving the premises hiding in a car, Ajit Pawar said he was not there in the car.
I did not leave surreptitiously. I am someone who roams around openly. There was no reason for me to hide. I was not there in that car, he said. Visuals aired by regional news channels showed Sharad Pawar arriving at the residence of businessman Atul Chordiya in the Koregaon Park area around 1 pm on August 12 and leaving around 5 pm. Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar was purportedly seen leaving the premises in a car at 6:45 pm.