‘BJP Considered Alliance With NCP but I Refused’: Sharad Pawar

PM said to consider an alliance before the Maharashtra state elections, but Sharad Pawar said it was not possible.

The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), led by Sharad Pawar, will contest the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections in alliance with the Samajwadi Party (SP).

(Photo: Accessed by The Quint)

According to reports, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar said on Wednesday, 29 December, that though there was a discussion of an alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) before the 2019 state elections, it was not a possibility.

He added that the BJP had probably considered an alliance with the NCP because their relationship with the Congress was strained at the time.

Speaking at a book launch, he told The Indian Express:

“It is true that there was a discussion about an alliance between our two parties. The prime minister said we should think about it… However, I told him right in his office that it was not possible and I would not like to keep them in the dark.”

Background

Pawar said that before that he had made a "mischievous" statement that the NCP was considering joining hands with the BJP. “This probably sowed doubt in the mind of Shiv Sena, which stepped forward for an alliance with Congress and NCP,” he added.

In the 2019 Maharashtra state elections, the BJP and Shiv Sena fought on one side, while the NCP and Congress on the other. However, after the BJP emerged as the single-largest party, they could not form the government as their alliance with the Shiv Sena came to an end.

The Shiv Sena eventually joined hands with the NCP and Congress to form the government in Maharashtra.

‘I Never Left Ideology of Nehru, Gandhi’: Pawar

Pawar also clarified that while he has left the Congress, he still carries the ideology of Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru.

He told the newspaper, “Though my family had Left political leanings, I was inspired by the ideology of Gandhi, Nehru, and Yeshwantrao Chavan. I was suspended by the Congress for six years as I expressed my views openly in the party’s meeting… After that, I had the task of providing a platform for my supporters…but I never left the ideology of Gandhi, Nehru, and Yeshwantrao Chavan.”

Regarding the upcoming UP Assembly elections, Pawar said there seems to be no clear-cut winner. He added that elections in states such as UP and Madhya Pradesh have an important role to play in national politics.

Speaking on the PM, Pawar told the newspaper, “He believes in taking the task he has taken up to its logical conclusion. He pays a lot of attention to the administration. However, if the general public’s problems are not resolved, the impact will not be seen… I find him lagging here. He believes in strong implementation of policy decisions and he has his own style of taking his government forward.”

Regarding upcoming elections and whether a change is possible, Pawar added that it is not important who is standing for elections. “If people decide, change takes place, which has been proved in the past too. This will be seen in the coming elections…”