Page 11 - Sharad Pawar

Won't accept derogatory comments on our PM: Sharad Pawar on Maldives row

In a press conference, the NCP chief stressed the importance of respecting the Prime Minister and his post

Take Bilkis Bano case seriously, keep SC's observations in mind: Pawar

NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Tuesday appealed to the Maharashtra government to take seriously the case of Bilkis Bano, who was gangraped and her seven family members murdered in 2002, and keep in mind what the Supreme Court has said about the "heinous crime". The Supreme Court on Monday quashed the remission granted by the Gujarat government to 11 convicts in the case, while slamming the state for being "complicit" with an accused and abusing its discretion. It ordered all the convicts, who were released prematurely on Independence Day in 2022, back to jail within two weeks. Excoriating the Gujarat government, the apex court said it "usurped" the power of the Maharashtra government to grant remission to the convicts. After Bilkis Bano voiced apprehension over tampering with evidence and risk to witnesses, the Gujarat High Court had transferred the trial in the case from Ahmedabad to Mumbai. The 11 convicts in the case can approach the Maharashtra government with request for remission

ED raids Baramati company of NCP Chief Sharad Pawar's grand nephew

The Enforcement Directorate on Friday searched premises of Baramati Agro, a company owned by MLA Rohit Pawar, grand nephew of NCP supremo Sharad Pawar, and linked entities as part of a money laundering probe in the alleged Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank scam, official sources said. At least six locations in Baramati, Pune, Aurangabad and Amravati are being searched, they said. The office of Baramati Agro in Baramati town is also being covered. The money laundering case stems from an August, 2019 FIR of the Mumbai Police Economic Offences (EOW) wing. The police complaint came after the Bombay High Court issued an order on August 22 that year to investigate the allegations of selling sugar factories in the Maharashtra cooperative sector through alleged fraudulent means and also that they were sold at thowaway prices.

Political situation not favourable for BJP: NCP Chief Sharad Pawar

He further said that after assuming power at the Centre in 2014, the BJP announced several programmes and gave a host of assurances, but did not implement them and "betrayed" people

ED summons: Sharad Pawar backs Kejriwal, accuses Centre of misusing power

Backing Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal over Enforcement Directorate summoning him, Nationalist Congress Party president Sharad Pawar on Thursday said the Centre was misusing power to discourage those who do not have similar political views. Addressing party workers here, Pawar said summons have been sent by the central probe agency to Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren as well and feared he too could be arrested. Pawar said in the last 10 years, people have voted Kejriwal to power, adding that Aam Aadmi Party ministers have been jailed and steps were being taken to arrest him as well. "He has been issued notices to appear before the ED. The chief minister of the country's capital. Everyone in Delhi knows he is a simple man with a clean image. It will not be surprising if he is arrested," Pawar claimed. "This means efforts are being made to discourage those who do not have similar political views by misusing power," Pawar alleged. Kejriwal, who is also the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) nation

NCP's Awhad sparks row, says 'Ram belongs to Bahujans, was non-vegetarian'

This comes a day after BJP MLA Ram Kadam urged the Maharashtra government for a one-day ban on alcohol and meat on the Ayodhya consecration ceremony day on January 22

Ideals were ignored in NCP as focus was on power, says Jayant Patil

Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party's Maharashtra unit chief Jayant Patil on Wednesday said since the party was in power for a long time, little emphasis was given to the principles on which it was built as the focus was on power. Addressing party workers on the first day of the NCP's two-day conclave at Shirdi in Ahmednagar district, Patil said the party is firmly grounded on the ideals of social reformers Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj, Mahatma Jyotiba Phule and Dr B R Ambedkar. "Pawar saheb built this party based on ideals, but since we were in power for a long time, we ignored the ideals and focused on power," he said. "When we were in power, we gave little emphasis to the thought of focusing on ideals which is why some people got attracted to different principles without giving any thought to it," Patil said, in an apparent dig at the Ajit Pawar-led group of the NCP. He said 2024 will be a year of struggle and urged party workers to fight this ideological battle. Founded b

Mamata 'unlikely' to attend Ram Mandir event, Sharad Pawar 'not invited'

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is unlikely to attend the inauguration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya in January, a senior TMC leader said on Wednesday. According to TMC sources, neither Banerjee nor any representative of the West Bengal government or the party will be present at the programme scheduled on January 22. "There is no question of Mamata Banerjee or any other representative of the TMC attending the Ram Mandir inauguration at Ayodhya next month. We don't believe in mixing politics with religion," a senior party leader privy to the development told PTI. The Ram temple will be inaugurated on January 22, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and more than 6,000 people expected to attend the grand "Pran Pratistha" ceremony. CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury has turned down an invitation to attend the inauguration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, the party said on Tuesday while underlining its belief that religion is a ..

Centre aims for onion prices to drop below Rs 40 per kilogram by January

Justifying the ban, Consumer Affairs Secretary also noted that other major onion-producing nations, such as Egypt and Turkey, have banned exports, putting pressure on the Indian crop

Sharad Pawar demands roll-back of ban on onion export, slams Centre

NCP president Sharad Pawar on Monday demanded that the ban on onion export be lifted and claimed the central government was ignoring the hard work of farmers. Addressing onion growers, who have been protesting against the Centre's decision, in Chandwad village of Nashik district in Maharashtra, Pawar said cultivators need to be united and demand their rights. "Nashik can show the way," he added. The Centre has banned onion exports till March 31 next year to increase domestic availability and to keep prices in check. Farmers in parts of Maharashtra have been protesting against the Centre's decision. Onion growers are small farmers who toil for a good crop, Pawar said, adding that during his tenure as Union agriculture minister, he never brought down the onion prices nor banned exports. "The ban on onion exports should be lifted immediately," he said. Pawar further said, "Bangladesh has levied Rs 160 (import) duty on grapes. The grape producers will face hardships due to this deci

Sharad Pawar, Thackeray, Digvijaya to address public meeting on Dec 12

NCP founder Sharad Pawar, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and Congress leader Digvijaya Singh will address a public meeting on the culmination of the Nationalist Congress Party's Yuva Sangharsh Yatra' here on December 12, Maharashtra ex-home minister Anil Deshmukh said on Wednesday. The three leaders will address the public event at the Zero Mile area in Nagpur, said Deshmukh, who belongs to the NCP's Sharad Pawar faction. The yatra led by NCP MLA Rohit Pawar, who represents the Karjat Jamkhed assembly constituency, started on October 24 from Pune to highlight various issues, including the ones faced by youths, in Maharashtra. The foot march is about 120 km from Nagpur, said the MLA on X on Wednesday. It will culminate in Nagpur, after covering more than 800 km, during the Winter Session of the state legislature. While Sharad Pawar, Thackeray and Singh will be prominently present during the public meeting in Nagpur on December 12, leaders from the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), ..

Sharad Pawar camp questions before EC the premise of dispute in NCP

The Sharad Pawar faction on Friday questioned before the Election Commission the very premise of dispute in the NCP, claiming those who were part of conducting organisational polls in the party in 2018 cannot claim in 2023 that those elections were flawed. Sharad Pawar faction's counsel Abhishek Manu Singhvi said between 1999 and 2018, there were no allegations that Sharad Pawar was not the leader of the party or that the elections were faulty. "It is for the first time in 2023 that an allegation was levelled that the polls held in 2018 and subsequently at the lower level were flawed and so was the national convention," he told reporters as the hearing continued at the EC on Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar's claim on party name and symbol. He said his arguments will continue at the next hearing. He said those levelling allegations include Ajit Pawar and Praful Patel when it was Patel himself who had issued the notice under his sign calling the national convention. He

NCP disqualification pleas: Ajit camp submits 40 responses, Sharad group 9

The Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar factions of the Nationalist Congress Party on Friday submitted their responses to Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar in connection with disqualification petitions filed against each other. The NCP split on July 2 after Ajit Pawar and eight MLA joined the Eknath Shinde government. Since then, both factions have laid claim to the party name and symbol and have petitioned the Speaker seeking disqualification of those owing allegiance to the other side. While the Ajit Pawar faction submitted 40 responses, the faction led by party founder Sharad Pawar submitted nine responses, sources said. "The hearing related to the disqualification petitions filed by NCP legislators is expected to be held next week. The concerned authorities will have to go through the documents and responses submitted by both sides," Vidhan Bhavan sources said. The NCP is recognised as one unit in both Houses of the Maharashtra Legislature, they added. Separate hearings of b

Sharad Pawar faction delaying hearing, Ajit Pawar's counsel on NCP's name

The last hearing was conducted a week ago by the ECI which adjourned it after listening to both sides

Sharad Pawar faction urges EC to take penal action against Ajit camp

The Sharad Pawar faction of the NCP on Monday urged the Election Commission to take penal action against the Ajit Pawar group, alleging it filed fake affidavits before the poll panel. Two days before rebelling against uncle Sharad Pawar to join the Maharashtra government in early July, Ajit Pawar had approached the Election Commission on June 30 staking claim to the party name as well as the symbol. He had subsequently declared himself as the party president with the support of 40 lawmakers. After the fourth personal hearing by the EC on Monday, Sharad Pawar's counsel Abhishek Manu Singhvi told reporters that the alleged fake affidavits filed by the Ajit Pawar camp can be categorised into 24 categories of "fraud". He alleged that it was a case of "complete, shameless fraud" committed by the Ajit Pawar camp. Party founder Sharad Pawar was present when Singhvi spoke with reporters. The hearing will continue on Friday. Singhvi said "not one affidavit" submitted by the opposite side s

Marathwada requests CM Eknath Shinde for water release into Jayakwadi dam

A request letter was written to Chief Minister Eknath Shinde regarding the release of water from the reservoir of the upper Godavari valley dam into the Jayakwadi dam said former Minister Rajesh Tope

Maharashtra politics will remain centred around Sharad Pawar, Uddhav: Raut

Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut on Wednesday said former chief ministers Sharad Pawar and Uddhav Thackeray are the main leaders in Maharashtra and the state politics will revolve around them. He said the NCP faction led by party founder Sharad Pawar will trump the rebel group headed by deputy CM Ajit Pawar in the 2024 elections. "It doesn't matter that Sharad Pawar and (his nephew) Ajit Pawar are seen together (after split in the party in July). In 2024, the Sharad Pawar faction will make Ajit Pawar bite the dust. The state politics will revolve around only Sharad Pawar and Uddhav Thackeray," Raut told reporters. He claimed the Congress will win all the five states where assembly elections are being held in November (voting has been completed in Mizoram) and added this will set the tone for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Asked about Prime Minister Narendra Modi calling Congress MP Rahul Gandhi "murkhon ka sardar" (leader of fools) at a poll rally in Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday,

Our fight is ideological, not personal: Sule on Sharad, Ajit Pawar's meet

NCP President Supriya Sule said that she and her party leaders don't hold any personal differences with brother Ajit Pawar

Population remark row: Ally NCP defends Nitish Kumar as BJP mounts attack

Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar faction) Spokesperson Clyde Crasto attacked the BJP saying it should also talk about its own people who use derogatory words against women.

Uddhav harboured CM ambition since 2004, staged endorsement in 2019: Shinde

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Tuesday claimed that Uddhav Thackeray nurtured the ambition to become the CM since 2004 but things didn't work out. Addressing the annual Dussehra rally of Shiv Sena led by him at Azad Maidan in south Mumbai, Shinde also disclosed that two persons were sent to NCP chief Sharad Pawar to recommend Thackeray's name for the post of chief minister. "It was his (Uddhav's) wish to become the CM since 2004 but the 'jugaad' didn't work out. He pretended that he was never interested in the post. It was said publicly that he accepted the responsibility (after the 2019 assembly elections) on the advice of Sharad Pawar. But the fact is that two persons were sent to Pawar to recommend his (Uddhav's) name for the post," Shinde said. After the elections, he jumped in the chair of the chief minister, added Shinde, who was a cabinet minister in the erstwhile MVA government led by Thackeray. "They (Uddhav) wear many masks and do things subtly with a straigh