‘We know what we’re doing’: Sharad Pawar responds to Saamana’s jibe

PUNE: Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on Tuesday responded to criticism of his party in an editorial of the Shiv Sena (UBT) mouthpiece Saamana, saying that he and his party leaders ignore what others say and do not give any importance to such articles.

“We do not attach any importance if someone is writing about whether we create new leadership or not. It is their prerogative to write, but we ignore such things. We know what we are doing, and we are satisfied with it,” Pawar said at a media interaction in Satara to a question on the recent Saamana editorial that blamed him for not putting a succession plan in place.

The NCP leader, who founded the party in 1999 after walking out of the Congress, recalled that he did create the entire leadership of the NCP back in 1999 when the NCP came to power in alliance with the Congress.

“From the NCP, Jayant Patil, Ajit Pawar, Dilip Walse Patil and RR Patil got the chance to get inducted into the cabinet…. But in 1999, I made all these people cabinet ministers, and the entire Maharashtra saw their work,” Pawar said.

Pawar also took a swipe at Prithviraj Chavan of the Congress who described the NCP as the Bharatiya Janata Party’s B-team in Karnataka, a reference to the NCP’s move to field candidates on some seats in the neighbouring state.

“He should check what stature he has in his own party...whether it is A, B, C or D. Any colleague from his party would tell you in private,” Pawar said, questioning Chavan’s standing in his party

Pawar also explained the NCP move to field candidates in Karnataka to the continuing effort to expand the party. He said the NCP did not take the decision in consultation with other parties such as the Congress as it wanted to start from scratch.

Pawar said his party was contesting a limited number of seats in Karnataka and this will not adversely affect the Congress’s prospects.