Acknowledging the possibility of differences arising during seat-sharing talks among the constituents of the Indian National Developmental, Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on Friday said the parties would find a solution through discussions.
“We cannot discount the possibility of differences arising over some seats during seat-sharing talks. If this happens in a particular State, then we will send leaders of parties which have the least interest in that State to mediate and resolve such issues. Four states, including Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, are going to polls soon which are important for us. We will try to put up a united front here,” Mr. Pawar told reporters at his bastion Baramati in Pune district.
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Stressing that the INDIA bloc would nonetheless try to ensure that such differences do not crop up, the 82-year-old leader said he would hold discussions with the Congress (the NCP’s ally in the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance in Maharashtra) on the issue.
Mr. Pawar also condemned the recent remarks about journalists by Maharashtra BJP unit president Chandrashekar Bawankule.
The State BJP chief had purportedly asked party workers to take journalists to dhabas and treat them well to avoid negative publicity ahead of the elections.
“Journalists in Maharashtra do not expect such statements. Why should we attach importance to his [Mr. Bawankule’s remarks]? Which journalist in Maharashtra is desperate to be taken to a dhaba and offered tea? Journalists here do not have such an image. Making such a statement is insulting the entire journalistic fraternity. We should avoid people who utter such things,” the NCP patriarch said.
In a recent audio clip of Mr. Bawankule addressing the BJP cadre in Ahmednagar, which went viral, he can be heard saying that “small-time video journalists running news portals and residing in your [BJP workers’] booth areas sometimes present a minor incident as if some blast has taken place”.
“Prepare a list of such nuisance-creating journalists, including those from the electronic media or print, and invite them for a cup of tea to dhabas so that they would not write anything against us till our victory in 2024 [Lok Sabha election]. You know what I mean by inviting them for a cup of tea,” he said.
The remarks caused a furore, with Maharashtra Leader of the Opposition Vijay Wadettiwar, of the Congress, stating that it reflected the BJP’s mentality. He added that “not all journalists were sold out”.
