Sharad Pawar Takes Swipe at BJP as NCP Leader Faces Questioning
Sharad Pawar, the leader of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), suggested that the recent actions taken against some NCP leaders, including the questioning of senior party leader Jayant Patil by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in Mumbai, could be a consequence of their refusal to meet the expectations of the ruling dispensation. Despite the potential repercussions, Pawar emphasized that the NCP would not waver from its chosen path.
During a press interaction in Pune, Pawar expressed his views on the investigations carried out by the ED and other central probe agencies against NCP leaders. He indirectly criticized the BJP-led Central government, stating that there might have been certain expectations from around 9 to 10 NCP leaders, expectations that the party was not willing to fulfill. He affirmed the party’s readiness to bear the consequences of their stance, remarking, “We will never leave the path we have chosen.”
Pawar further commented, “As some people could not digest this (NCP’s stand), hence we have to suffer. But we are not worried about it,” clearly alluding to the BJP-led government.
It is worth noting that Jayant Patil, the Maharashtra NCP chief, responded to his summons by the ED, stating that as a member of the opposition, he was prepared to face such hardships.
When asked about Patil’s questioning, Pawar disclosed, “I have a list of some key 10 leaders who have faced inquiry. Some of them even faced action by these agencies.” Jayant Patil’s interrogation by the ED in connection with a money laundering case linked to alleged financial irregularities in the now-bankrupt financial services firm IL&FS has been ongoing for over eight hours at the ED’s office in south Mumbai, according to an official.
Pawar cited the case of former home minister Anil Deshmukh, who was accused of accepting ₹100 crore but was later found to have received only ₹1.50 crore for an educational institute. Pawar claimed that such exaggeration of allegations demonstrated the misuse of power, and Deshmukh had been defamed as a result.
Regarding the revocation of the suspension of former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh, Pawar cautioned that delving deeper into the complaints and cases against Singh could lead to a Pandora’s box of revelations. He urged an examination of the pending cases against Singh. Pawar also defended Nawab Malik, a jailed NCP leader, asserting that Malik had been vindicated as former NCB zonal director Sameer Wankhede now faces a CBI probe in the Cordelia cruise “drug bust” case. Pawar remarked, “What Malik used to allege is turning out to be true. He has been harassed for speaking the truth.”
