Sharad Pawar hits back at Saamana, says those he groomed are shining bright; ridicules Prithviraj Chavan

On Monday, Saamana Executive Editor Sanjay Raut had said that the Saamana editorial had expressed its point of view.

Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar addressing media. (PTI, file)

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Sharad Pawar hits back at Saamana, says those he groomed are shining bright; ridicules Prithviraj Chavan

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A day after Shiv Sena (UBT) mouthpiece, Saamana, said Sharad Pawar had failed to groom a successor who could take his party forward, the NCP chief hit back Tuesday, saying he does not care what others write about him and those he groomed have already proved their mettle.

Reacting to Monday’s editorial in Saamana, Pawar told reporters in Satara, “We don’t attach importance to what people write as to whether we have groomed a successor or not. They will write. It is their right to do so. We ignore it. We know what we are doing. We get satisfaction out of that”.

“Our party colleagues present their own views, but we don’t make those views public. It is an issue which belongs to our family. Every colleague of ours knows how our party will move forward. Our colleagues are confident about how we create new leadership,” he added.

Citing the example of how he created a new line of leadership after the NCP’s formation in 1999, Pawar said, “When we came to power along with the Congress in 1999, we wanted to form the ministry. Among those whom we included in the ministry were Jayant Patil, Ajit Pawar, R R Patil, Dilip Walse-Patil, Anil Deshmukh…Like these, there were several names who were experiencing the seat of power for the first time…Those who were included were appointed as Cabinet ministers. Maharashtra has seen that each one of them has proved his mettle. And that’s why if people write whether we have groomed a successor or not, we do not attach importance to it.”

On Monday, Saamana Executive Editor Sanjay Raut had told The Indian Express the editorial had expressed its point of view. “There was no criticism of the NCP chief in the editorial. It is just a point of view,” said Raut.

Pawar also did not spare senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan who had expressed doubts about the behaviour of the NCP and its perceived dalliance with the BJP. “Where does Prithviraj Chavan stand in Congress?” he asked.

The NCP chief was responding to the criticism made by Chavan while he was campaigning for Congress candidates ahead of the Karnataka Assembly elections. “My colleagues will tell you in private about Prithviraj Chavan,” Pawar added.

While campaigning in Nipani, Chavan had said they keep reading in newspapers and watch on television about the NCP and the BJP.