Sharad Pawar's rebuke of grandnephew Parth not linked to BJP: Fadnavis

NCP chief Sharad Pawar rebuking his grandnephew Parth publicly was a family matter and the BJP was not "remotely associated" with the issue, former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Saturday.

The BJP leader also expressed concern about the coronavirus situation in Maharashtra, which, he said, had become a "Covid-19 capital".

Sharad Pawar had said on Wednesday that he attached "absolutely no importance" to Parth's demand for a CBI probe into Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput's suicide.

The NCP chief also termed Parth, son of his nephew and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar,as "immature", setting off speculation about a rift in the family.

The Maharashtra government, of which NCP is a part, has maintained that Mumbai Police are capable of probing the actor's death.

"Parth Pawar issue is a family matter of the Pawars. We don't want to get into that issue. We are not even remotely associated with it," Fadnavis told reporters here.

"It is a matter within their family, and they should try to resolve it within the family," he added.

The BJP leader pointed out that Maharashtra has reported the highest number of coronavirus cases in the country and accounts for 40-41 per cent of the total deaths.

"Unfortunately, Maharashtra has become a Covid-19 capital....The Covid-19 situation in Maharashtra is grim," he said.