Politically bipolar, NCP National President and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar issued an ultimatum to his Mahayuti allies today that he and his party would never tolerate any personal attack against his estranged uncle and veteran politician Sharad Pawar, who now heads the NCP(SP).
Ajit Pawar's stern warning has come at a time when the campaign for the Assembly elections is gathering momentum.
Reports suggest that the outburst by Maharashtra's Ajit Pawar was triggered by sharp criticism from BJP legislator and Ryat Kranti Sanghatana chief Sadabhau Khot against Pawar senior while addressing a poll rally for BJP nominee Gopichand Padalkar from the Jat constituency in Sangli district.
"What face? You want to make the face of Maharashtra like yours?" Khot reportedly told him. "Pawar saheb says he wants to change the face of Maharashtra. What face?".
Personal remarks by Khot against Sharad Pawar drew a sharp reaction not only from the NCP(SP) but also from the Ajit Pawar faction.
Khot's timing of criticism against Pawar senior has embarrassed the BJP and Shiv Sena which, together with the Ajit Pawar faction in the Mahayuti, are now prepping up for the appeal to voters on a development plank.
Speaking very strongly, Ajit Pawar severely criticized the statement of Khot and gave a strict warning to Mahayuti that he and his party would not sit silently if any personal criticism is hurled at Sharad Pawar.
"Sadabhau Khot's statement on the respected senior leader Pawar Saheb is very wrong and reprehensible. It is totally unacceptable for us to make low-level personal criticism of Pawar Saheb. This is not the culture of our Maharashtra.".
"On behalf of the Nationalist Congress Party and personally, I strongly condemn this statement. Henceforth, NCP will not tolerate any personal criticism against Sharad Pawar," he warned.
Dilip Walse-Patil, yet another close confidant of Sharad Pawar, who has aligned with Ajit Pawar, came up sharply against Khot's statement and said, "Sadabhau Khot has stretched himself down so low and has given disgusting statements about our respected Sharad Pawar Sahib, our senior leader and pillar of all. I condemn the statement; it is one of the very outrageous ones.".
"We will never tolerate such statements. Also, everyone must refrain from these kinds of statements and organize poll campaigns with sense and awareness."
Ajit Pawar has already asked his party leaders including ministers, nominees, and other functionaries to refrain from personal attacks on Sharad Pawar and any kind of baseless allegations, realizing that sympathy for Pawar senior may significantly help his party.
It's the second instance where Ajit Pawar has had this taste of political medicine after allegedly taking on his uncle during the Lok Sabha elections where his wife Sunetra Pawar lost to NMC(SP) nominee Supriya Sule in a Pawar vs. Pawar contest.
He has told party functionaries to take on the Sharad Pawar-led party and others in the opposition with policy matters and not make it a personal battle.
Interestingly, nothing was said by Ajit Pawar when Prime Minister Narendra Modi termed Sharad Pawar the "bhatakti atma (wandering soul)" in the context of Lok Sabha elections or when Union Home Minister Amit Shah termed Sharad Pawar "bhrashtachar ka sabse bada sargana (Godfather of corruption)" while addressing a BJP rally at Pune in July.
Ajit Pawar, on the other hand, had a retort to Khot's observation, as he admitted that such controversies would eventually impact his electoral prospect also in Baramati.
After a backlash of this magnitude, Khot apologized, saying he never intended to use sarcasm to mock someone's deformity.
"I take back those words, I apologize," he said.
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