NCP chief Ajit Pawar said on Sunday that society did not like rifts within families — citing his own strained ties as an example. The Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister had previously admitted to making a ‘mistake’ by fielding his wife against Supriya Sule during the Lok Sabha elections. The remarks also came amid buzz that Bhagyashri — the daughter of state minister Dharmarao Baba Aatram — would cross over the the Sharad Pawar-led faction and contest elections against her father.
“You should support your father and help him win because only he has the capacity and determination to develop the region. The society never accepts breaking one's own family. I have experienced the same and accepted my mistake,” Pawar said.
The statement was made during a during a rally in Gadchiroli amid speculation about a potential contest between Bhagyashri and her father in the upcoming state assembly elections.
The NCP has faced criticism from several quarters after its poor showing in the Lok Sabha elections. The party became a constituent of the Mahayuti alliance in the state last year following a rift within the Sharad Pawar-founded party.
The development came mere days after Maharashtra Minister Gulabrao Patil stoked debate about a rift within the ruling alliance with a sharp swipe at state Finance Minister Ajit Pawar. State Legislative Assembly Speaker Rahul Narvekar however insisted on Saturday said that everything was going well in the Mahayuti.
“A department as incompetent as the finance department...it would be better if I did not utter those words. My file must have gone to the finance department 10 times, yes, 10 times... After going there, our file used to continuously come out negative, continuously negative but I did not leave it and neither did the people with me leave it,” Patil had said earlier this week.
(With inputs from agencies)
