Sharad Pawar turns 79, asks NCP workers to work for people's welfare

NCP chief Sharad Pawar turned 79 on Thursday and scores of party leaders and workers from across Maharashtra thronged the city to greet him on his birthday.

At a function held at the Y B Chavan Centre here, Pawar asked the party's rank and file to work for the betterment of every person in the society.

The event was attended by Maharashtra NCP chief Jayant Patil, senior party leaders Chhagan Bhujbal, Praful Patel, Ajit Pawar, Dhananjay Munde, Shiv Sena leader and state minister Subhash Desai and others.

"We are committed towards the betterment of the last person in the society...towards the youngsters. We should work for them," Pawar said at the event.

The party handed over cheques worth Rs 80 lakh to Pawar and the fund will be used for facilitating education of the children of farmers who committed suicides.

Pawar also said that Rs 50,000 would be deposited as assistance in the accounts of wives of the farmers who committed suicide.

The Maratha strongman recalled that his and his mother's birthday fall on the same day, and she taught him to rise from failures while working in public life.

Speaking at the event, Patil said Maharashtra runs on the ideology of warrior king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

"Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj had shown what is self- pride to Delhi (apparent reference to Mughals). Now, Pawar Saheb has shown what is self-pride to Delhi (the central government)," Patil said.

Earlier in the day, NCP Lok Sabha member and Pawar's daughter Supriya Sule took to Twitter to extend good wishes to him.

"Dear Baba, you are a constant source of energy for us. You gave us the bright legacy of ideology and also the strength to tread on it...Baba, boundless birthday greetings to you. Wishing you long healthy life," she tweeted in Marathi.

NCP chief spokesperson Nawab Malik also posted a message on the micro-blogging site to wish Pawar.

"Birthday greetings to the architect of the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi government, president of Nationalist Congress Party Honourable Shri Sharadchandra Pawar Saheb," Malik tweeted.

Maharashtra Congress president Balasaheb Thorat also tweeted a message wishing good health and long life to Pawar.

The NCP patriarch, born on December 12, 1940 at Baramati in Pune district, is credited for the party's return to power in the state along with the Congress and their new ally Shiv Sena by forming the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government last month.

The NCP was virtually staring at an existential crisis in the run-up to the Maharashtra Assembly polls, held in October this year, as several of its leaders jumped the ship to join the BJP and Shiv Sena.

The Pawar-led party, however, won 54 seats - 13 more than its 2014 poll tally - in the elections and later went on to form government in the state after the Shiv Sena parted ways with the BJP.

The NCP has credited Pawar for playing a pivotal role in improving its tally of seats and formation of the MVA government.