The BJP's swipe at Pawar in its fortnightly publication 'Manogat' came days after Pawar took potshots at Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis over the Rajya Sabha nomination of Sambhaji Raje, a descendant of Chhatrapati Shivaji and Shahu Maharaj.
The write up took on Pawar over certain comments he had made on the issue, throwing references to history and politics of Maharashtra stretching back to the Maratha rule.
The BJP mouthpiece said that Pawar's comments were a result of his envy of people coming from Hindutva fold ruling the state while he has become "helpless" in Maharashtra politics.
"Sharad Pawar had used the caste card many times before. During (Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghtana leader) Raju Shetty's agitation for sugarcane farmers in 2012, Pawar mentioned Shetty's caste and accused him of protecting his castes sugar factory owners," the BJP publication stated.
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It sought to know if Pawar had respect for the descendant of Shivaji, why did he not refer Sambhaji Raje's name for a Rajya Sabha seat during the UPA regime.
Responding to the BJP's charges, NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik said that Raje had been his party candidate for 2009 Lok Sabha election and that the leadership had at the time advised him to rethink his decision when he wanted to take up Maratha agitation.