NCP chief Sharad Pawar. (File) Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on Friday made a passing reference to an old remark made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, where he had said that he had no hesitation accepting that it was Pawar who had held his hand to enter politics, saying such remarks made him “scared of entering Parliament”.
Pawar, who did not name PM Modi, made the remark after former Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde said that he had learnt his political ropes in “Pawar’s school”. Pawar and Shinde were speaking at the inauguration of the 18th ‘Jagtik Marathi Sammelan’ or World Marathi Meet in Pimpri.
“Shinde said he learnt his political ropes from me…I was gripped with fear…Because someone said he held my hand to enter politics. From then on, I feared entering Parliament. I am scared of stepping into Parliament,” Pawar said at the event.
PM Modi and NCP leader Sharad Pawar met in Parliament. (Photo: File/PMO) In 2016, at a function in Pune, Prime Minister Modi had said in his speech that he had no hesitation in accepting that it was Sharad Pawar who had held his hand and taught him to walk on the political field.
The meet on Friday was organised by the Jagtik Marathi Academy and the Dr D Y Patil University in Pimpri. Sammelan president Dnyaneshwar Mule, Satara MP Srinivas Patil, former Union minister Ramakant Khalap, reception committee chief P D Patil, Marathi film director Nagraj Manjule and actor Sayaji Shinde were among those present.
Before Pawar’s speech, Shinde told the gathering, “You never know when Pawar will come up with a particular type of scheme. He loves the Marathi manoos whichever denomination he belongs to. He always helps them out.”
Praising Pawar’s fitness level, Shinde said, “Pawar is older than me by eight months. Yet he keeps moving around, attending one function after another. He works day and night. I learnt my political ropes in his school.”