Sharad Pawar

It may be too early to say that the political chameleon from Maharashtra is changing colours again

Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar on Saturday claimed attempts were being made to divide people based on caste and religion and rulers are not interested in resolving problems of people but are instead trying to divert their attention with "temple politics". Addressing a function here in north Maharashtra, Pawar blamed the economic policy of the current Union government for the plight of Marathi-speaking textile mill workers in Mumbai. Pawar also accused the government of trying to weaken labour unions and make them dependent on it and appealed to workers in the country to unite to secure their future. "At many places, government works are closing. There are attempts to divide people over caste and religion. There are many issues such as unemployment, price rise and there are expectations that power should be used to resolve these problems but rulers are not interested," he claimed. In a veiled jibe at Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde who is on Ayodhya visit, Pa

The Congress on Saturday said the Supreme Court committee to look into the Hindenburg research report on Adani group has limited terms of reference and "cannot bring out the deep nexus between" the prime minister and the billionaire businessman. The remarks came soon after Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) supremo Sharad Pawar said this panel will be more useful and effective than a joint parliamentary committee to probe the Adani issue. "The Supreme Court Committee has very limited terms of reference. It cannot bring out the deep nexus between PM and Adani," said AICC general secretary Jairam Ramesh. "Only a JPC can find answers to the HAHK (Hum Adanike Hain Kaun) series of 100 questions and more that are emerging," he also said, adding that the "JPCs in 1992 and 2001 were both worthwhile exercises". Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also tweeted in Hindi, "They hide the truth, that's why they mislead everyday! The question remains the same - who's Rs 20,000 crore benami money is in ...

The Shiv Sena (UBT) on Saturday said Nationalist Congress Party president Sharad Pawar not favouring formation of a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) to probe allegations against the Adani group will not lead to cracks in opposition unity. Talking to reporters, Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut said Pawar has not given a clean chit but expressed his views of options on how to carry out the probe. In an interview to NDTV, Pawar came out in support of the Adani Group and criticised the narrative around Hindenburg Research's report on the conglomerate. Raut added the opposition is firm on its demand for a JPC probe. "Be it (West Bengal chief minister) Mamata Banerjee or NCP, there could be different opinions about Adani, but that will not lead to cracks in (opposition) unity in Maharashtra or in the country," asserted Raut, a key aide of former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray. Earlier in the day, Pawar had said he favoured a Supreme Court committee to probe allegations aga

Pawar said he was not opposed to the JPC probe, but if the Committee comprises 21 members, then 15 would be from the ruling side and the remaining six from the Opposition side

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has taken a swipe at the Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray by asking them to heed the words of Nationalist Congress Party supremo Sharad Pawar on the Adani issue. United States-based Hindenburg Research had alleged large scale stock manipulation and accounting fraud in the firms of billionaire Gautam Adani, leading to strident protests by the opposition Congress and others against the Narendra Modi government. The group had refuted the allegations. In an interview to NDTV, Pawar came out in support of the Adani Group and criticised the narrative around Hindenburg Research's report on the conglomerate. "Such statements were given by other individuals earlier too and there was a ruckus in Parliament for a few days but this time out-of-proportion importance was given to the issue," he said. "The issues that were kept, who kept them, we had never heard of these people who gave the statement, what is the background. When they .

Extending support to the Adani Group, Pawar said that the report seems like an individual industrial group of the country was targeted

NCP chief and former agriculture minister Sharad Pawar on Thursday opposed any government plan to import milk products such as butter and ghee, contending that it would impede the revival of the dairy sector. In a letter to Parshottam Rupala, the Minister for Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries, Pawar referred to media reports about the government's "intention" to import dairy products such as butter and ghee. "Any decision by the central government in this regard will be totally unacceptable because the import of these products will directly affect the income of the domestic milk producers," Pawar said. He said the dairy farmers have recently come out of the unprecedented COVID-19 crisis and such a decision will severely impede the sector's revival process. "My concern may please be heeded. I shall be happy if the matter is looked into and the ministry deters itself from taking any decision to import the milk products," Pawar said. Animal Husbandry and Dairy Secretary Rajesh

Amid plans by BJP and Shiv Sena led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde to carry out Savarkar Gaurav Yatra, NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Saturday said that Savarkar is not a national issue

Amid strains in the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi alliance over Rahul Gandhi's strident criticism of V D Savarkar, NCP chief Sharad Pawar has stepped in to play the peacemaker by conveying the Shiv Sena's concerns on the issue to the Congress leadership. Opposition leaders said Congress has agreed to tone down its criticism of Savarkar, which has led to unease among the NCP and Shiv Sena, its alliance partners in Maharashtra. Pawar raised the issue during a meeting of opposition leaders convened by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday evening and made it clear that targeting Savarkar, a revered figure in Maharashtra, would not help the opposition alliance in the state, two leaders who attended the meeting told PTI. Former Congress Presidents Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi were present at the meeting along with leaders of opposition parties. Pawar also told Rahul Gandhi that Savarkar was never a member of the RSS and underscored that the real fight of the opposition parties was

NCP supremo Sharad Pawar came out in support of Rahul Gandhi on Thursday, saying his conviction in a criminal defamation case was an attempt to "suppress the voice" of opposition leaders. Pawar also drew parallels between the conviction of Gandhi and NCP leader and former Lok Sabha member from Lakshadweep P P Mohammed Faizal, who was disqualified from the lower house after his conviction in an attempt-to-murder case. "I express my serious concerns at the attempts to curtail fundamental rights, freedom of speech and democratic expression in the country. The repeated attempts to suppress the voice of political parties, leaders and citizens of India is a matter of grave concern," Pawar said. "Today's judgment of Rahul Gandhi underscores the point. NCP MP P P Mohammed Faizal's case is also a similar case in point. I deplore this new trend in our political landscape, which should concern everyone in today's scenario," the Rajya Sabha member said. Faizal was disqualified as member of the

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president and former Union minister Sharad Pawar on Wednesday recalled resistance he faced from certain quarters while implementing decisions related to women empowerment, including inducting female officers into the armed forces, but said when an administrator is strong policies get eventually executed. The veteran parliamentarian held key portfolios of defence (1991-1993) and agriculture (2004-14) as a Union minister and also served as chief minister of Maharashtra four times during his decades-long political career. Pawar recalled that as defence minister when he visited the United States, he was given a guard of honour by an all-woman contingent of the American armed forces. When he returned home, Pawar discussed the idea of inducting women into the armed forces with all the three services chiefs, but faced opposition to his proposal. I again brought this (induction of women) issue (with them) for discussion one or two months later and received

NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Monday said the people in Maharashtra are looking for a change and he will ensure that constituents of Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) contest the upcoming Assembly and Lok Sabha elections together. Pawar was speaking to reporters after the newly-elected Congress MLA from Kasba Peth Assembly constituency in Pune city, Ravindra Dhangekar, visited the NCP chief at his residence here. He said Dhangekar was elected by common people in the bypoll in Kasba Peth, a BJP bastion, as he has been working for them for the last several years. Queried whether a formula of contesting elections jointly will be repeated by MVA in the upcoming civic elections, Pawar said his colleagues in NCP are looking into this aspect. "However, my efforts will be to ensure that the constituents of MVA remain together, take joint decisions, and face the state Assembly and Lok Sabha elections together," he said. The former Union minister also said the people in Maharashtra are looking for a ...

Nationalist Congress Party supremo Sharad Pawar said here on Monday that the people of Maharashtra are longing for a 'political change' and want all the Opposition parties to come together for this

NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Monday said the people in Maharashtra are looking for a change and he will ensure that constituents of Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) contest the upcoming Assembly and Lok Sabha elections together. Pawar was speaking to reporters after the newly-elected Congress MLA from Kasba Peth Assembly constituency in Pune city, Ravindra Dhangekar, visited the NCP chief at his residence here. He said Dhangekar was elected by common people in the bypoll in Kasba Peth, a BJP bastion, as he has been working for them for the last several years. Queried whether a formula of contesting elections jointly will be repeated by MVA in the upcoming civic elections, Pawar said his colleagues in NCP are looking into this aspect. "However, my efforts will be to ensure that the constituents of MVA remain together, take joint decisions, and face the state Assembly and Lok Sabha elections together," he said. The former Union minister also said the people in Maharashtra are looking for a ...

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar has said he was not involved in any kind of talks between Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray and Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) chief Prakash Ambedkar. On January 23 this year, the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) and VBA announced an alliance ahead of civic polls in several cities in Maharashtra. The move was seen as an attempt by Thackeray to consolidate support among Dalits in the state. Thackeray's party is a constituent of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance along with the NCP and Congress. Days after the Sena (UBT) and VBA forged an alliance, Pawar had said that no talks had been held among the MVA constituents about taking the Ambedkar-led outfit on board. On Sunday, while replying to a question asked by reporters whether the NCP would join hands with Ambedkar, Pawar said, "I am not involved in any kind of talks between them (Thackeray-led Sena and VBA). My point of view is that Congress, NCP and Shiv Sena (UB

Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule claimed on Wednesday that NCP supremo Sharad Pawar was willing to form an alliance with the BJP in 2019, but with a rider that Devendra Fadnavis should not be made chief minister. "It was his (Pawar's) agenda that Fadnavis should not become Chief Minister of Maharashtra. He knew that if Fadnavis became CM, the NCP will be flattened. He experienced that in 2014 and 2019. He was okay with anyone else as CM," Bawankule told reporters here. Fadnavis had claimed recently that his short-lived alliance government with NCP leader Ajit Pawar had Sharad Pawar's backing.

While the Shinde faction welcomed the decision of being recognized as the real Shiv Sena, the Uddhav Thackeray faction said they will move the Supreme Court

There was need to boost gram sabhas across Maharashtra as tribals are the ones who are preserving water and forests, Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar said in Sewagram here on Sunday. He was speaking at the state-level Conference of Collective Forest Rights attended by gram sabhas and NGOs working in the field of river and forest conservation. Pawar also said a 'tribal development centre' will begin at Yashwantrao Chavan Pratishthan in Mumbai soon. " Tribals are the ones who are preserving water and forests. We need to boost gram sabhas across Maharashtra. Steps must be taken to ensure the upliftment of tribals," Pawar said. He praised groups like Vidarbha Nisarg Sanrakshan Sanstha, Vidarbha Va Khandesh Upajivika Manch and others and said they have been able to instil confidence in the gram sabhas, which was bearing fruit at the ground level. More than 700 persons from districts like Gadchiroli, Gondia, Chandrapur, Nagpur, Yavatmal, Amravati, Nandurbar and Dhule distri

Nationalist Congress Party chief and former Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar has slammed the Narendra Modi government at the Centre for not doing enough to remove hurdles in the export of fruits and vegetables. He was speaking to the media at an event in Sanpada in Navi Mumbai on Saturday. The Centre is not paying attention to issues being faced in the export of fruits and vegetables, which was distressing farmers, especially those growing onion, a crop that needs to be exported in order to fetch a good price domestically, Pawar said. He also flagged the increase in land acquisition for infrastructure projects like highways and expressways, rail routes and airports, all of which he claimed also put load on the agriculture sector. "The Centre must provide support for the modernisation of agriculture. The production of fruits and vegetables is on the rise but there are hurdles in its export, which the Centre is not paying attention to," he added.