Sharad Pawar on Ajit Pawar's desire for party role, says key party leaders to take call on it

Days after Ajit Pawar appealed that he be assigned a role in the NCP organisation, party president Sharad Pawar said such a decision cannot be taken by one person and key party leaders will sit to take a call on it.

Senior NCP leader Ajit Pawar, who is the nephew of Sharad Pawar, recently appealed to the party leadership to relieve him of the responsibility as Leader of the Opposition in the Maharashtra Assembly and assign him any role in the party organisation.

Notably, Sharad Pawar recently entrusted the responsibility of Maharashtra to his daughter and Lok Sabha member Supriya Sule by appointing her as a working president. Praful Patel is another working president for other states.

Asked about Ajit Pawar's desire to have a position in the party organisation, the NCP chief said such decisions are not taken by any one person.

Key leaders including him (Ajit) will sit together and they will take a decision on this. Today, everyone in the party has the sentiment to work in the party organisation and he (Ajit) reflected upon the same sentiment, he said.

On criticism from opponents that the NCP uses Other Backward Classes for namesake but does not give any party position to OBC leaders, Sharad Pawar said such comments show there is lack of knowledge over this point. The first state NCP chief was Chhagan Bhujbal. Who is he? After him, (Madhukarrao) Pichad was on that position. After him, Sunil Tatkare, who was he? See the list, he said. They (BJP leaders) also know that the question raised by them is not in sync with the facts, he added.