Page 2 - Sharad Pawar

Pawar an experienced leader whose contribution can't be ignored: CM Shinde

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Saturday praised Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) supremo Sharad Pawar, saying his contribution to the cooperative sector cannot be ignored

Sharad Yadav's demise is irreparable loss to Indian politics, says Pawar

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar on Friday said the demise of former Union minister Sharad Yadav was an irreparable loss to Indian politics. Yadav died on Thursday at a Gurugram Hospital. "The demise of former JDU President, former Union Minister, senior socialist leader Mr. Sharad Yadav is an irreparable loss to Indian politics," Pawar tweeted. "Heartfelt condolences to his family and followers on his passing away. May his soul rest in peace," the NCP chief added.

Pawar pitches for MVA allies to contest Maha Assembly and LS polls together

Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar on Sunday pitched for contesting the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly and the Lok Sabha polls together with the Uddhav Thackeray faction of the Shiv Sena and Congress. Talking to reporters, he claimed that despite a split in the Shiv Sena, majority of the hardcore Shiv Sainiks who work on the ground stand behind Uddhav Thackeray. Pawar said MLAs and MPs may have aligned with the Eknath Shinde faction of the Shiv Sena after the split, but when polls take place, they will also know what the views of people are. After the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly elections, Thackeray had snapped ties with long-term ally Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and tied-up with the NCP and Congress to form the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in the state. The Thackeray government collapsed in June last year after a revolt led by Shinde against the Sena leadership. To a query on the issue of alliance, Pawar said, The understanding is that the Congress, NCP and Uddhav ...

Centre should change its attitude towards cooperative banks: Sharad Pawar

Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar has said that the Union government must change its attitude towards cooperative banks and support them because they serve the common people. There is a misconception that irregularities largely take place in cooperative banks, the former Union agriculture minister said at a function here on Thursday. Pawar was speaking at the closing ceremony of the golden jubilee of Vishweshwar Cooperative Bank Ltd. Nationalised and scheduled banks in the country account for more than 90 per cent of irregularities whereas cooperative sector banks account for only 0.46 per cent irregularities, he said. "I get worried when I see how the cooperative bank sector is being looked at. The Union government has invested heavily in nationalised banks. It had to be done because if money had not been infused, the health of these banks would have deteriorated," he said. "Generally, there is a misconception that people in the cooperative sector are involved in ...

Young men unable to find brides because of unemployment, says Sharad Pawar

Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar has criticised the BJP governments at the Centre and in Maharashtra over unemployment, saying it is creating social issues as young men of marriageable age are not finding brides. Speaking before flagging off the NCP's 'Jan Jagar Yatra' campaign here on Wednesday, Pawar said a rift is being created between communities and an attempt is being made to divert the attention from real issues like inflation and unemployment. "It is possible to address the issue of hunger in the country as our farmers have increased the production, but the people in power are not ready to give due remuneration to farmers, instead they are safeguarding the interests of middlemen and pushing the common people into the gorge of inflation," the former Union agriculture minister claimed. Today's youth are educated and they have the right to demand jobs, he said. Industries are going out of Maharashtra, no encouragement is being given to the existing industries and

2023 will be a great year if country gets good rainfall: Sharad Pawar

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar on Saturday said if 2023 witnesses a good monsoon, it will be a "great" year for the country as it will help the agriculture sector thrive and drive up the economy. He also noted that India can become an important country in terms of export. Pawar was talking to media persons in his hometown in Pune district on the New Year's eve. "As many as 50 to 60 per cent of the people of the country are dependent on agriculture. If we get favourable rainfall in the country, it will be a great year for all of us. The purchasing power of people will rise if agriculture flourishes. I pray that the farmers of the country would be happy in the coming year," he said. Once farmers are happy, other businesses will also witness "great" days, the former Union agriculture minister said. "On a global stage, India can become an important country in terms of exports. Therefore, there should be new reforms in industries and trade. No matter who remai

Congress 'mukt' Bharat not possible, says Sharad Pawar at Pune party office

NCP president Sharad Pawar during his visit to the Congress office in Pune on the party's foundation day celebrations, said, "Congress mukt Bharat is not possible"

Centre cannot remain mute spectator: Sharad Pawar on Maha-K'taka border row

Amid the simmering border dispute between Maharashtra and Karnataka, Nationalist Congress Party president Sharad Pawar on Thursday said the central government cannot remain a mute spectator. If power is misused to destroy the idea of a language medium and movement, there is bound to be a reaction. But, the Centre has turned a blind eye to it, Pawar said addressing a meeting of the NCP here. The Maharashtra-Karnataka boundary dispute is not between the two states, but for the rights and justice of the Marathi- speaking people in the border areas of the neighbouring state, the former Union minister said. On Wednesday, the issue of the border dispute between Maharashtra and Karnataka was raised in the Lok Sabha with NCP leader and Pawar's daughter Supriya Sule seeking the intervention of the Union home ministry in the matter. Referring to it, Pawar said, "Yesterday, the Lok Sabha Speaker told Supriya Sule that the issue is between two states and not an issue to be raised in Parliament

NCP must work to fill political vacuum in Maharashtra, says Pawar

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar on Thursday said his party was capable of filling the political vacuum in Maharashtra and asked the state leadership to work on building the next generation of leaders. Addressing the state party executive meeting, Pawar said there is always a political vacuum (in any state), which was filled by the Bharatiya Janata Party in Gujarat and the Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi. "Such a vacuum exists in Maharashtra and NCP can fill it by emerging as an alternative. We have to work to unite all forces which oppose the BJP's ideology," Pawar said. Even though civic and local body polls are delayed, the NCP leadership in the state shouldn't be complacent and must utilise this time to encourage a new breed of leadership, the former Union minister said. It was NCP which took the lead to organise a protest against the state government scheduled on December 17 in Mumbai, Pawar asserted. Speaking on the simmering border row with Karnataka, Pawar

Pawar slams Koshyari over remarks on Shivaji; says crossed all limits

NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Thursday slammed Bhagat Singh Koshiyari over his remarks on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and said that Maharashtra Governor has crossed "all limits".

NCP's lone Gujarat MLA Kandhal Jadeja resigns after ticket denial

The Nationalist Congress Party's lone Gujarat MLA Kandhal Jadeja resigned from the party on Monday after it denied him a ticket for the upcoming state Assembly polls. Jadeja had filed his nomination on November 11 despite not having a mandate from the party. He won from Kutiyana seat in Porbandar district in 2012 and 2017 on the NCP's ticket, but this time the seat has been kept out of the Congress-NCP alliance. Elections for the 182-member Gujarat Assembly will be held in two phases on December 1 and 5. In the first phase, voting will be held in 89 seats, including Kutiyana, while voting for the remaining 93 seats will be held on December 5. In the last Assembly polls, Jadeja had defeated candidates of both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress as the NCP had not entered into an alliance with the Congress. In a letter to Gujarat NCP chief Jayant Patel aka Jayant Boskey on Monday, Jadeja said he is resigning from all the party posts and primary membership as he has bee

Sharad Pawar not to join Congress' Bharat Jodo Yatra: Jairam Ramesh

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar will not join the Congress's Bharat Jodo Yatra due to health issues, senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said on Thursday. Addressing media persons here, Ramesh said Pawar (81) had earlier agreed to participate in the foot march. ''He was recently hospitalised and considering doctor's advice for rest, he will not join (the yatra),'' said Ramesh, the general secretary (communications) of the All India Congress Committee. Pawar's daughter and NCP Lok Sabha member Supriya Sule, state party president Jayant Patil and NCP leader Jitendra Awhad reached Maharashtra's Nanded district on Thursday to join Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in the foot march from Deglur Naka and to attend the latter's public rally in the evening. AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge will also attend the rally. Ramesh said Rahul Gandhi had spoken to Pawar when he was in hospital. ''Even though Pawar had agreed to join the yatra, he is unable to come due to doct

'Pawar's participation in 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' will depend on his health'

Senior Congress leader Ashok Chavan has said the participation of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar in the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' in Maharashtra will depend on his health condition. The 'Bharat Jodo Yatra', a mass outreach initiative of the Congress which began on September 7 from Kanyakumari, is scheduled to enter Maharashtra's Nanded district on Monday night from neighbouring Telangana. The Congress had invited NCP president Pawar, 81, to participate in the foot march and the latter earlier said he would join the yatra. Pawar was recently hospitalised in Mumbai for fever and other health issues. The NCP chief on Saturday flew to Shirdi from Mumbai with doctors and addressed the party convention briefly. Talking to reporters in Nanded on Sunday evening, former chief minister Chavan said, "There seems to be a change in Sharad Pawar's programmes. I have come to know that he may join the yatra on November 10, but it will depend on his health condition." The state Con

NCP president Sharad Pawar admitted to hospital after feeling uneasy

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar was admitted to a private hospital in Mumbai on Monday after he felt uneasy, a party functionary said. The 81-year-old Rajya Sabha member will remain in the hospital for next couple of days and later attend a party meeting scheduled to begin on November 3, NCP's general secretary Shivajirao Garje said in a statement. After the veteran politician complained of uneasiness, he was admitted to the Breach Candy Hospital on the advice of his physician, he said. He will remain in the hospital for three days and is expected to be discharged on November 2. He will attend the party's two-day meeting scheduled to begin on November 3, Garje said. The functionary appealed to party leaders and workers not to gather at the hospital. Pawar had undergone a gall bladder surgery at the private hospital in April last year. He had also undergone a medical procedure for the removal of a mouth ulcer.

Andheri East assembly bypoll: Raj Thackeray asks BJP not to field nominee

NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Sunday sought the unopposed election of Rutuja Latke, the candidate of the Uddhav Thackeray faction of Shiv Sena, in the November 3 Andheri East Assembly bypoll while MNS president Raj Thackeray appealed to Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis not to field BJP's nominee to show reverence to the late MLA Ramesh Latke. The MNS' appeal to Fadnavis and its decision to not contest the bypoll has generated intense political discussion given Raj Thackeray's political rivalry with his cousin Uddhav Thackeray. The late Latke belonged to Shiv Sena. Notably, the last date for withdrawal of the nominations for the bypoll is October 17. Fadnavis said the proposition of Raj Thackeray will be discussed seriously with BJP leaders and Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and the final decision will be taken only after a discussion with senior leaders in BJP. He also said whenever there was a proper communication or appeal made to BJP, it was responded to ...

Andheri East bypoll: Let Rutuja Latke be elected unopposed, says Pawar

Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar on Sunday sought the unopposed election of Rutuja Latke, the candidate of the Uddhav Thackeray faction of the Shiv Sena, in the Andheri East Assembly bypoll scheduled for November 3. Rutuja Latke, the wife of Ramesh Latke, whose death necessitated the bypoll, is up against the Bharatiya Janata Party's Murji Patel. Incidentally, October 17 is the last date for withdrawal of nominations. "The term for the new member (MLA) will be just one-and-half years. The bypoll is being held because of the unfortunate death of Ramesh Latke. His wife is contesting the seat. Latke was a corporator and an MLA. His contribution must be taken into consideration," Pawar said. Huge efforts go into fighting bypolls, which is not required when the term is just for around one year, he said, adding that five to six months are spent with the election code of conduct in place. He also hailed the Bombay High Court order directing the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corpora

When Mulayam and Pawar dashed Sonia Gandhi's prime ministerial hopes

Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav, who passed away on Monday, and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar formed the unlikely duo who set in motion political events in 1999 that dashed Congress president Sonia Gandhi's prime ministerial hopes. Gandhi, then a newly appointed Congress chief, had staked claim to form the government at the Centre after the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had lost the vote of confidence in the Lok Sabha on April 17, 1999. We have 272 and we hope to get morewe are confident we will get more, Gandhi had famously told reporters at the Rashtrapati Bhawan after calling on the then President K R Narayanan. However, Yadav, whose 20 members in the Lok Sabha were crucial for the Congress to cross the majority mark, had different plans and was not keen to back Gandhi as the prime minister. Yadav had proposed the name of CPI(M) stalwart Jyoti Basu for the top executive post, bristling at Gandhi's claims of forming a Congress ...

Despite being large part of population, Muslims not getting share: Pawar

Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar on Saturday said members of the Muslim community have a feeling they were not getting their due share despite being a large part of the country's population. Addressing an event titled 'Issues Before Indian Muslims' organised by the Vidarbha Muslim Intellectuals Forum here, Pawar batted for Urdu but also stressed on the importance of the "main language" of states, citing the situation in Kerala as an example. "Members of the Muslim community have a feeling they are not getting their due share despite being such a large part of the country, which is actually a reality. Deliberations have to be held on how they can get their due share," he said. Responding to an earlier speaker seeking the use of Urdu in government recruitment examinations, Pawar hailed the language and said several people are associated with it for generations. "We should consider Urdu schools and education, but along with Urdu, we have to consider about the main languag

NCP chief Pawar welcomes Mohan Bhagwats' comments on social discrimination

Nationalist Congress Party president Sharad Pawar on Saturday welcomed the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat's statement that anything which causes social discrimination must be junked. Speaking at a book launch event here on Friday, Bhagwat had said concepts like 'Varna' and 'Jaati' (caste) should be completely discarded, adding that the caste system has no relevance now. "Everything that causes discrimination should go out lock, stock and barrel," the RSS chief had said. He had also said one must not hesitate to accept and apologise for the mistakes committed by one's ancestors. Speaking to reporters at Nagpur airport, Pawar, however, said such statements need to be implemented in actual behaviour and must not remain as lip service. "A big segment of society suffered due to such discrimination. And the fact that those who were responsible for such discrimination are realising it must be done away with is a good thing," he said. "Only apologising, however, will not

Don't know if Shiv Sena wanted to ditch BJP, ally with Cong in 2017: Pawar

Throwing cold water on Ashok Chavan's recent claims, NCP President Sharad Pawar said he was not aware whether the Shiv Sena wanted to dump the and ally with the Congress-NCP to form a govt in 2017