Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar MLA Rohit Pawar's mother Sunanda has emphasised the need for party factions led by veteran politician Sharad Pawar and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar to come together as voices for unity emerged from both rival camps.
Sunanda Pawar on Friday said she is just echoing the sentiments of the people of Maharashtra and party workers when she speaks about the need for rival factions to unite, weeks after the ruling Nationalist Congress Party led by Ajit Pawar and opposition NCP-SP bitterly fought against each other in assembly polls.
A united family is a strength, she asserted, adding generations of the Pawar household have stayed together through thick and thin all these years.
The NCP split in July last year after Ajit Pawar joined the Eknath Shinde government.
The Election Commission of India later gave him the party name and 'clock' symbol, while Sharad Pawar's faction was christened NCP-Sharadchandra Pawar.
The two factions have since been bitter rivals, the acrimony marked by stinging statements against each other and peaking with duels in Lok Sabha and assembly polls for Baramati, the family's turf for over half a century.
Speaking to reporters, Sunanda Pawar said deputy CM Ajit, his son Parth and her son Rohit had all come together to wish the former Union agriculture minister when he turned 84 on Thursday.
The celebrations were held at Sharad Pawar's 6 Janpath residence in New Delhi.
Asserting that she did not see anything political in this show of unity from the family, Sunanda Pawar said, "As far as sentiments of party workers are concerned, they are right in their belief that if the party stays united instead of remaining bifurcated, it will have its strength all over the state. I respect these feelings of party workers."
She was responding to media queries about the general feeling among party workers of the need for a united NCP.
"Party workers are important for the party, and the leadership should understand their sentiments," she asserted, though she added that she had nothing to do with politics and had been working in the social field all these years.
"Except for taking part in the poll campaign, I keep away from politics. So it is purely the decision of Ajit dada and Pawar saheb and their parties on what step needs to be taken (for unification). I am sure both will take the right decision," she said when asked if the two leaders would consider such sentiments.
"A united family is a strength, and the way people feel the family should once again come together, I too feel the same," Sunanda Pawar added.
While the NCP-SP fared better in the Lok Sabha polls with eight seats in Maharashtra against one for the Ajit Pawar-led group, the assembly polls saw the NCP emerging victorious on 41 seats, while the Sharad Pawar faction had to be content with wins in 10 constituencies.
Deepak Mankar, Pune city chief of the NCP, said party workers share common sentiments that both factions should come together, but a final decision lies with Ajit Pawar and his uncle Sharad Pawar.
"On Thursday, Ajit dada went to wish and seek blessings from Pawar saheb on his birthday. After that meeting, there were intense speculations about both factions coming together. Though workers feel the parties should come together, the ultimate decision lies with both top leaders," said Mankar.
Ankush Kakade, an NCP-SP spokesperson, emphasised that workers on both sides feel that if the rival factions come together, it will strengthen the overall organisation.
Kakade, however, insisted that Sharad Pawar, who is aligned with the Congress and the Shiv Sena-Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), will not compromise on his core ideology.
"But one thing is very clear, Pawar saheb will never give up his ideology and will never deviate from his ideology. I think if someone is coming and aligning with that ideology, I do not think Pawar saheb will have any objection to that. Again, it is Pawar saheb's decision," he asserted.
