Not Worried Over Losing NCP Name and Symbol, Says Sharad Pawar

Sharad Pawar, the chief of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), stated that he was not worried about losing the NCP's name and symbol. However, he emphasized that the public disapproved of individuals who opted for divergent paths, alluding to the rebellion led by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar.

On Thursday, Maharashtra assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar declared that the faction led by Ajit Pawar was deemed the authentic Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) during the emergence of two factions in July 2023. This declaration came after Ajit Pawar, along with eight MLAs, allied with the Eknath Shinde government on July 2 of the preceding year, resulting in a division within the NCP established by Sharad Pawar.

But some of our colleagues deviated from this path. Some took away the party, some took away the symbol. I never worry about all this. Some people chose to go on a different path by forsaking ideology but people did not appreciate this move, he asserted. It is amusing to hear from these persons that they left as they wanted to work for development, Pawar said. Not everyone can be in power all the time and it cannot be said those who are not in power cannot serve the country.

Atal Bihari Vajpayee spent numerous years in the opposition. Does that imply he didn't contribute to serving the nation? Did he ever contemplate abandoning his party to serve the country, disregarding his ideology? Despite our disagreements, one undeniable fact is that he (Vajpayee) consistently upheld his ideology, emphasized the former Union minister.

In 1977, when the Janata Party assumed power, Yashwantrao Chavan opted to sit in the opposition. Was that decision incorrect? he queried. The country was facing farmers’ issues but those in power are not ready to listen, said Sharad Pawar.

In the recent session of 15 days, Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to the Parliament only for one hour, he claimed. Be it Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi or Yashwantrao Chavan, they did not miss Parliament sessions even for one day, Pawar asserted.