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“It is my own decision to self-introspect and repent for my remarks made last week. This is not a publicity stunt but a sincere attempt to repent and self introspect. I sincerely feel that I must sit on fast at the late Y B Chavan’s memorial today, which happens to be the birth anniversary of Dr B R Ambedkar,” Ajit said.
Ajit, who had started his fast at 7.45 am, finished it at around 5.45 pm in the presence of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) ministers R R Patil, Ramraje Nimbalkar and couple of party legislators and leaders. He, later, headed for Mumbai.
Ajit’s move came a day after his uncle and NCP Chief, Sharad Pawar termed his language as “improper” and “inappropriate”. However, there were few takers for Ajit’s repentance. Swabhimani Shetari Sanghatana (farmers’ organisation) chief and Member of Parliament Raju Shetti termed Ajit’s fast as nautanki (drama) while Maharashtra Navnirman Sena Chief, Raj Thackeray said it was too late as the damage caused due to the indecent language used by Ajit could not be repaired by merely observing a fast.
Bharatiya Janata Party member and leader of the Opposition in the state council, Vinod Tawde insisted Ajit should resign. Shiv Sena leader Diwakar Rawate said his party would press for Ajit’s resignation. Prithviraj Deshmukh, hailing from the drought-hit Solapur district and is on fast for over 55 days to press for the release of water from the Ujjani dam, said Ajit should tender an apology by addressing a rally of drought-hit people.
However, NCP’s Maharashtra unit chief Madhukar Pichad said it was Ajit’s personal decision to sit on fast.
“Our party president Sharad Pawar had already revealed his views on the present controversy with an appeal to the press and media and opposition parties not to stretch it further but get on to the job,” he noted.
In a statement, Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, who was in Nagpur, said, “Every political leader has to self introspect at some point of time.” Opposition parties in the state have announced they would continue to press for Ajit’s resignation. They will also take up their demand for an apology by Prithviraj Chavan in the state legislature when it commences on April 15.
"The opposition parties will participate in the proceedings of the state legislature from Monday. However, we will continue to press for Ajit Pawar’s resignation on the streets,” said Tawde. On April 7, Ajit, in an attempt at being comical about his inability to bring waters to Maharashtra’s dams, had quipped at a function at Indapur near Pune: “If there is no water in the dams, should we urinate into them?”
