Union Agriculture Minister and NCP leader Sharad Pawar has defended his decision to field murder accused Padamsinh Patil and Navneet Rana, who is accused of forging a caste certificate, for the Lok Sabha polls from Maharashtra. In an interview with The Hindu, he said, “I am fully convinced that Mr. Patil is not related to the case. An extreme step has been taken by investigating agencies but let the courts decide.” In Ms. Rana’s case, he said he had gone through the documents and felt there was nothing wrong.
When asked about allegations of corruption against NCP Ministers including his nephew Ajit Pawar and Sunil Tatkare in connection with the irrigation scam in Maharashtra, Mr. Pawar said, “These allegations have no meaning. These are effective people who deliver the goods. This is an attempt to tarnish their image, which will not succeed.”
Mr. Pawar also denied that there was a power struggle within the party between him and Ajit Pawar and divisions between senior leaders. “This is humbug and wrong propaganda. So are reports of a rift between Ajit Pawar and my daughter Supriya Sule. The NCP is a homogenous party where different views are expressed but no one crosses the line,” he said.
ADVERTISEMENT