Sharad Pawar meets Deputy CM Sunetra Pawar, slams Fadnavis statement about NCP merger

NCP founder Sharad Pawar met Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar at her Sahyog Society residence in Baramati on Wednesday late evening, for the first time after she was sworn in, sources said.

Several other Pawar family members were also present at the venue. Sharad Pawar-led NCP MLA Rohit was the first to reach Sunetra Pawar’s Sahyog Society residence along with his parents. A large crowd of NCP workers had gathered at Sahyog Society to pay their condolences to the bereaved Pawar family.

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Rohit and his parents have also reached their residence in Sahyog Society. Sharad Pawar’s wife Pratibha Pawar also accompanied the NCP founder to Sunetra Pawar’s residence in Sahayog Society, where a large photograph of the late Ajit Pawar was prominently displayed at the entrance of Sunetra Pawar’s residence.

After Sharad Pawar entered the Sahyog Society residence, he first paid homage to Ajit Pawar and then sat down with Sunetra Pawar and her son Jay Pawar.

Incidentally, Sharad Pawar’s meeting with Deputy CM Sunetra Pawar came after he had already had a long closed-door meeting with both her sons Parth Pawar and Jay Pawar earlier on Wednesday, sources said.

The meeting, which was held on the premises of Vidya Pratishthan, which is an educational institute in the Pawar family’s hometown of Baramati, lasted for more than three hours, sources said.

However, there was no immediate official statement about what was discussed at the closed door meeting, though it is being speculated that the discussion was probably about a possible merger of the two NCPs besides the forthcoming Zila Parishad elections, sources said.

Earlier on Wednesday, Sharad Pawar spoke to media persons in Baramati and snubbed claims by Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis that the late Ajit Pawar never told him anything about a merger of both NCPs.

“I do not understand, what right he (Fadnavis) has to mention my name? Since he was nowhere involved in the merger talks, he has no right to comment on it,” NCP founder Sharad Pawar said, even as he expressed happiness about Sunetra Pawar being sworn in as Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra.

Sharad Pawar also said that Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi should have been allowed to quote from an unpublished memoir ‘Four Stars of Destiny’ written by former army chief General M M Naravane in the Lok Sabha, which revealed incidents about the events during the Sino-Indian stand-off in 2020.

“The former army chief has written something in the book which shows there was some concerning situation. If a discussion had been allowed to take place in Parliament about the issue, people could have got a clear picture,” Sharad Pawar said.

“Why was there opposition to Rahul Gandhi when the copy of the book written by General Naravane was authenticated?” Pawar asked.

Speaking to media persons on Wednesday, Sharad Pawar also cited political and economic concerns about the emerging India-US trade arrangement, warning that provisions allowing American agricultural products into India could hurt Indian farmers and expose India’s agriculture sector to unequal competition.

He said the details of the recent India–US tariff understanding are still unclear and required closer scrutiny. “A clear picture will emerge only in the next two days. Only after that can a final assessment be made,” Sharad Pawar said.

Sharad Pawar also cautioned that the apparent concessions to the United States could come at a cost. “A provision in the tariff deal announced by the United States allows agricultural exports to India. This is a matter of concern for Indian farmers and the domestic agriculture sector,” Sharad Pawar said.

Describing the United States as a “powerful economy”, Pawar warned that large-scale agricultural imports from such a country to India could adversely impact Indian producers. “I expect Indian agriculture to be adequately safeguarded and not exposed to unfair competition,” Sharad Pawar said.