'Sena's Hindutva Is Inclusive': Sharad Pawar Rebuts Ajit Pawar's All-Out Attack

Sharad Pawar gave a rebuttal to several claims by Ajit Pawar as both factions held parallel meetings in Mumbai.

"Don't mess with my father or mother. Say whatever you want about me or anybody else, but don't mess with my father," said Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MP Supriya Sule to roars of applause and cheer by a gathering of her father Sharad Pawar's supporters in Mumbai on Wednesday, 5 July.

In a scathing rebuttal to Ajit Pawar's show of strength and the claims made by that faction's leaders on Wednesday, both Sharad Pawar and Supriya Sule said that they will "not allow the party symbol to be taken away."

Read the full analysis of Ajit Pawar's speech here.

While Sharad Pawar addressed the gathering at Mumbai's Yashwantrao Chavan Centre, Ajit Pawar simultaneously asked him to "take rest and just give blessings" at a different gathering in Mumbai's MET grounds.

In his address, Ajit Pawar launched an all-out political attack against his uncle, took jibes at his daughter Supriya Sule, made several claims around the supremo's recent resignation bid, and detailed the failed deals of the NCP with the BJP since 2014.

Here's what Sharad Pawar said in response to the claims made by his nephew Ajit Pawar:

'Not the First Time': On Party Symbol

Narrating how he has contested elections on several symbols, Sharad Pawar said: "If anybody claims that they will take the party symbol, I will not allow it. As long as the party ideology and role of party workers is staunch, there is noting to worry about."

Sule said that the rebels can claim whatever they want but the party symbol will remain with Sharad Pawar.

'Different Hindutva': Sharad Pawar on Allying With Shiv Sena

Ajit Pawar on Wednesday alleged a change of stance by Sharad Pawar between 2017 and 2019, when it came to allying with a "communal party" like the Shiv Sena. Several leaders of the faction, since the split, have been claiming that if the NCP can ally with the Shiv Sena, it can ally with the BJP too.

Sharad Pawar responded to the claims by saying that the idea of Shiv Sena's Hindutva is not a divisive one, unlike that of the BJP's.

"It is being said that the alliance with the BJP is alright if there was an alliance with Shiv Sena. I will tell you the difference between the Shiv Sena and the BJP. During the Emergency, there was a sentiment against Indira Gandhi in the country. Balasaheb Thackeray issued a statement that she should be supported for the sake of the country's unity. He provided support to an extent where he did not field candidates in the next Assembly elections and provided outside support to the Congress. Thackeray took the decision considering the environment of the country and was only given two berths in the Cabinet," Sharad Pawar claimed.

"Yes, Shiv Sena endorses Hindutva but their Hindutva takes everybody together, including the minorities. The BJP's idea of Hindutva, however, is divisive and destructive. It creates differences between human beings," he said, adding that the BJP was responsible for several recent communal riots across the state.

'For Border Security': Sharad Pawar on Allying With BJP in Nagaland

Several leaders of the Ajit Pawar faction of the NCP have been claiming that the party had no problem allying with the BJP in Nagaland.

Justifying that alliance, Sharad Pawar on Wednesday said: "Yes, we formed an alliance in Nagaland with the BJP. Places like Nagaland and Manipur have China as their neighbour. Alliances in these border states have to be thought about carefully. If these state are unstable, the neighbours might take advantage of it. Hence, we provided outside support but we are not a part of the government there."

"You went and joined the government (in Maharashtra). It is incorrect to draw these parallels," he added.

'Unity To Save Democracy': Sharad Pawar on Opposition Alliance

Ajit Pawar, in his speech, claimed that a "mess" of an Opposition alliance was being stitched and that the country can never progress with such an arrangement.

Sharad Pawar, in his address, said that a unity was being forged to save the constitutional institutions of the country.

"We have made attempts to save democracy and save constitutional institutions. We started uniting Opposition parties and held talks. We went to Patna and met leaders of several parties. We are again coming together on 17-18 July in Bengaluru to discuss issues of the nation. We don't fight on personal issues. This has created insecurity and unrest in the ruling party," he said.

'Only Broken Allies': Sharad Pawar on PM Modi, BJP

Targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP over the unrest in the party, Sharad Pawar reiterated Modi's claims on NCP being corrupt.

"PM Modi accused the NCP of indulging into corruption worth Rs 70,000 crores. He mentioned alleged the Sahakari bank scam. PM Modi and the state CM made such baseless allegations. Once in Baramati, he had said that he learnt the country's administration from me. Then, he went on in the elections to abuse the NCP," Shard Pawar said.

"If the NCP is so corrupt, why were its leaders taking oath? The PM speaks whatever he wants, alleges whatever he wants, and pollutes the political environment of the country," he added.

Alleging that the BJP has attempted to break its own allies, Sharad Pawar said: "It is a democracy, you (Ajit Pawar's faction) can do whatever you want. But it would have been better if this decision was taken after discussions with the party. Remember, nothing different is going to happen in this alliance than what happened in other states."