Page 19 - Sharad Pawar

Sharad Pawar backs Rahul, says jail term attempt to suppress Opposition

NCP supremo Sharad Pawar came out in support of Rahul Gandhi on Thursday, saying his conviction in a criminal defamation case was an attempt to "suppress the voice" of opposition leaders. Pawar also drew parallels between the conviction of Gandhi and NCP leader and former Lok Sabha member from Lakshadweep P P Mohammed Faizal, who was disqualified from the lower house after his conviction in an attempt-to-murder case. "I express my serious concerns at the attempts to curtail fundamental rights, freedom of speech and democratic expression in the country. The repeated attempts to suppress the voice of political parties, leaders and citizens of India is a matter of grave concern," Pawar said. "Today's judgment of Rahul Gandhi underscores the point. NCP MP P P Mohammed Faizal's case is also a similar case in point. I deplore this new trend in our political landscape, which should concern everyone in today's scenario," the Rajya Sabha member said. Faizal was disqualified as member of the

Pawar says when in govt he faced resistance to pro-women decisions

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president and former Union minister Sharad Pawar on Wednesday recalled resistance he faced from certain quarters while implementing decisions related to women empowerment, including inducting female officers into the armed forces, but said when an administrator is strong policies get eventually executed. The veteran parliamentarian held key portfolios of defence (1991-1993) and agriculture (2004-14) as a Union minister and also served as chief minister of Maharashtra four times during his decades-long political career. Pawar recalled that as defence minister when he visited the United States, he was given a guard of honour by an all-woman contingent of the American armed forces. When he returned home, Pawar discussed the idea of inducting women into the armed forces with all the three services chiefs, but faced opposition to his proposal. I again brought this (induction of women) issue (with them) for discussion one or two months later and received

Will ensure MVA fights Maha assembly, Lok Sabha polls together: Pawar

NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Monday said the people in Maharashtra are looking for a change and he will ensure that constituents of Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) contest the upcoming Assembly and Lok Sabha elections together. Pawar was speaking to reporters after the newly-elected Congress MLA from Kasba Peth Assembly constituency in Pune city, Ravindra Dhangekar, visited the NCP chief at his residence here. He said Dhangekar was elected by common people in the bypoll in Kasba Peth, a BJP bastion, as he has been working for them for the last several years. Queried whether a formula of contesting elections jointly will be repeated by MVA in the upcoming civic elections, Pawar said his colleagues in NCP are looking into this aspect. "However, my efforts will be to ensure that the constituents of MVA remain together, take joint decisions, and face the state Assembly and Lok Sabha elections together," he said. The former Union minister also said the people in Maharashtra are looking for a ...

Maharashtra is restless for political change: NCP Chief Sharad Pawar

Nationalist Congress Party supremo Sharad Pawar said here on Monday that the people of Maharashtra are longing for a 'political change' and want all the Opposition parties to come together for this

Will ensure MVA contests Maha assembly and LS polls together: Sharad Pawar

NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Monday said the people in Maharashtra are looking for a change and he will ensure that constituents of Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) contest the upcoming Assembly and Lok Sabha elections together. Pawar was speaking to reporters after the newly-elected Congress MLA from Kasba Peth Assembly constituency in Pune city, Ravindra Dhangekar, visited the NCP chief at his residence here. He said Dhangekar was elected by common people in the bypoll in Kasba Peth, a BJP bastion, as he has been working for them for the last several years. Queried whether a formula of contesting elections jointly will be repeated by MVA in the upcoming civic elections, Pawar said his colleagues in NCP are looking into this aspect. "However, my efforts will be to ensure that the constituents of MVA remain together, take joint decisions, and face the state Assembly and Lok Sabha elections together," he said. The former Union minister also said the people in Maharashtra are looking for a ...

Not involved in talks between Uddhav and Prakash Ambedkar: Sharad Pawar

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar has said he was not involved in any kind of talks between Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray and Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) chief Prakash Ambedkar. On January 23 this year, the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) and VBA announced an alliance ahead of civic polls in several cities in Maharashtra. The move was seen as an attempt by Thackeray to consolidate support among Dalits in the state. Thackeray's party is a constituent of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance along with the NCP and Congress. Days after the Sena (UBT) and VBA forged an alliance, Pawar had said that no talks had been held among the MVA constituents about taking the Ambedkar-led outfit on board. On Sunday, while replying to a question asked by reporters whether the NCP would join hands with Ambedkar, Pawar said, "I am not involved in any kind of talks between them (Thackeray-led Sena and VBA). My point of view is that Congress, NCP and Shiv Sena (UB

Pawar was ready to form govt with BJP, but did not want Fadnavis as CM

Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule claimed on Wednesday that NCP supremo Sharad Pawar was willing to form an alliance with the BJP in 2019, but with a rider that Devendra Fadnavis should not be made chief minister. "It was his (Pawar's) agenda that Fadnavis should not become Chief Minister of Maharashtra. He knew that if Fadnavis became CM, the NCP will be flattened. He experienced that in 2014 and 2019. He was okay with anyone else as CM," Bawankule told reporters here. Fadnavis had claimed recently that his short-lived alliance government with NCP leader Ajit Pawar had Sharad Pawar's backing.

Accept it and take a new symbol: Pawar to Sena on 'bow and arrow' loss

While the Shinde faction welcomed the decision of being recognized as the real Shiv Sena, the Uddhav Thackeray faction said they will move the Supreme Court

Pawar bats for tribal upliftment at forest rights-gram sabha conference

There was need to boost gram sabhas across Maharashtra as tribals are the ones who are preserving water and forests, Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar said in Sewagram here on Sunday. He was speaking at the state-level Conference of Collective Forest Rights attended by gram sabhas and NGOs working in the field of river and forest conservation. Pawar also said a 'tribal development centre' will begin at Yashwantrao Chavan Pratishthan in Mumbai soon. " Tribals are the ones who are preserving water and forests. We need to boost gram sabhas across Maharashtra. Steps must be taken to ensure the upliftment of tribals," Pawar said. He praised groups like Vidarbha Nisarg Sanrakshan Sanstha, Vidarbha Va Khandesh Upajivika Manch and others and said they have been able to instil confidence in the gram sabhas, which was bearing fruit at the ground level. More than 700 persons from districts like Gadchiroli, Gondia, Chandrapur, Nagpur, Yavatmal, Amravati, Nandurbar and Dhule distri

Govt not doing enough to remove hurdles in agri exports, says Sharad Pawar

Nationalist Congress Party chief and former Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar has slammed the Narendra Modi government at the Centre for not doing enough to remove hurdles in the export of fruits and vegetables. He was speaking to the media at an event in Sanpada in Navi Mumbai on Saturday. The Centre is not paying attention to issues being faced in the export of fruits and vegetables, which was distressing farmers, especially those growing onion, a crop that needs to be exported in order to fetch a good price domestically, Pawar said. He also flagged the increase in land acquisition for infrastructure projects like highways and expressways, rail routes and airports, all of which he claimed also put load on the agriculture sector. "The Centre must provide support for the modernisation of agriculture. The production of fruits and vegetables is on the rise but there are hurdles in its export, which the Centre is not paying attention to," he added.

Pawar an experienced leader whose contribution can't be ignored: CM Shinde

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Saturday praised Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) supremo Sharad Pawar, saying his contribution to the cooperative sector cannot be ignored

Sharad Yadav's demise is irreparable loss to Indian politics, says Pawar

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar on Friday said the demise of former Union minister Sharad Yadav was an irreparable loss to Indian politics. Yadav died on Thursday at a Gurugram Hospital. "The demise of former JDU President, former Union Minister, senior socialist leader Mr. Sharad Yadav is an irreparable loss to Indian politics," Pawar tweeted. "Heartfelt condolences to his family and followers on his passing away. May his soul rest in peace," the NCP chief added.

Pawar pitches for MVA allies to contest Maha Assembly and LS polls together

Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar on Sunday pitched for contesting the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly and the Lok Sabha polls together with the Uddhav Thackeray faction of the Shiv Sena and Congress. Talking to reporters, he claimed that despite a split in the Shiv Sena, majority of the hardcore Shiv Sainiks who work on the ground stand behind Uddhav Thackeray. Pawar said MLAs and MPs may have aligned with the Eknath Shinde faction of the Shiv Sena after the split, but when polls take place, they will also know what the views of people are. After the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly elections, Thackeray had snapped ties with long-term ally Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and tied-up with the NCP and Congress to form the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in the state. The Thackeray government collapsed in June last year after a revolt led by Shinde against the Sena leadership. To a query on the issue of alliance, Pawar said, The understanding is that the Congress, NCP and Uddhav ...

Centre should change its attitude towards cooperative banks: Sharad Pawar

Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar has said that the Union government must change its attitude towards cooperative banks and support them because they serve the common people. There is a misconception that irregularities largely take place in cooperative banks, the former Union agriculture minister said at a function here on Thursday. Pawar was speaking at the closing ceremony of the golden jubilee of Vishweshwar Cooperative Bank Ltd. Nationalised and scheduled banks in the country account for more than 90 per cent of irregularities whereas cooperative sector banks account for only 0.46 per cent irregularities, he said. "I get worried when I see how the cooperative bank sector is being looked at. The Union government has invested heavily in nationalised banks. It had to be done because if money had not been infused, the health of these banks would have deteriorated," he said. "Generally, there is a misconception that people in the cooperative sector are involved in ...

Young men unable to find brides because of unemployment, says Sharad Pawar

Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar has criticised the BJP governments at the Centre and in Maharashtra over unemployment, saying it is creating social issues as young men of marriageable age are not finding brides. Speaking before flagging off the NCP's 'Jan Jagar Yatra' campaign here on Wednesday, Pawar said a rift is being created between communities and an attempt is being made to divert the attention from real issues like inflation and unemployment. "It is possible to address the issue of hunger in the country as our farmers have increased the production, but the people in power are not ready to give due remuneration to farmers, instead they are safeguarding the interests of middlemen and pushing the common people into the gorge of inflation," the former Union agriculture minister claimed. Today's youth are educated and they have the right to demand jobs, he said. Industries are going out of Maharashtra, no encouragement is being given to the existing industries and

2023 will be a great year if country gets good rainfall: Sharad Pawar

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar on Saturday said if 2023 witnesses a good monsoon, it will be a "great" year for the country as it will help the agriculture sector thrive and drive up the economy. He also noted that India can become an important country in terms of export. Pawar was talking to media persons in his hometown in Pune district on the New Year's eve. "As many as 50 to 60 per cent of the people of the country are dependent on agriculture. If we get favourable rainfall in the country, it will be a great year for all of us. The purchasing power of people will rise if agriculture flourishes. I pray that the farmers of the country would be happy in the coming year," he said. Once farmers are happy, other businesses will also witness "great" days, the former Union agriculture minister said. "On a global stage, India can become an important country in terms of exports. Therefore, there should be new reforms in industries and trade. No matter who remai

Congress 'mukt' Bharat not possible, says Sharad Pawar at Pune party office

NCP president Sharad Pawar during his visit to the Congress office in Pune on the party's foundation day celebrations, said, "Congress mukt Bharat is not possible"

Centre cannot remain mute spectator: Sharad Pawar on Maha-K'taka border row

Amid the simmering border dispute between Maharashtra and Karnataka, Nationalist Congress Party president Sharad Pawar on Thursday said the central government cannot remain a mute spectator. If power is misused to destroy the idea of a language medium and movement, there is bound to be a reaction. But, the Centre has turned a blind eye to it, Pawar said addressing a meeting of the NCP here. The Maharashtra-Karnataka boundary dispute is not between the two states, but for the rights and justice of the Marathi- speaking people in the border areas of the neighbouring state, the former Union minister said. On Wednesday, the issue of the border dispute between Maharashtra and Karnataka was raised in the Lok Sabha with NCP leader and Pawar's daughter Supriya Sule seeking the intervention of the Union home ministry in the matter. Referring to it, Pawar said, "Yesterday, the Lok Sabha Speaker told Supriya Sule that the issue is between two states and not an issue to be raised in Parliament

NCP must work to fill political vacuum in Maharashtra, says Pawar

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar on Thursday said his party was capable of filling the political vacuum in Maharashtra and asked the state leadership to work on building the next generation of leaders. Addressing the state party executive meeting, Pawar said there is always a political vacuum (in any state), which was filled by the Bharatiya Janata Party in Gujarat and the Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi. "Such a vacuum exists in Maharashtra and NCP can fill it by emerging as an alternative. We have to work to unite all forces which oppose the BJP's ideology," Pawar said. Even though civic and local body polls are delayed, the NCP leadership in the state shouldn't be complacent and must utilise this time to encourage a new breed of leadership, the former Union minister said. It was NCP which took the lead to organise a protest against the state government scheduled on December 17 in Mumbai, Pawar asserted. Speaking on the simmering border row with Karnataka, Pawar

Pawar slams Koshyari over remarks on Shivaji; says crossed all limits

NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Thursday slammed Bhagat Singh Koshiyari over his remarks on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and said that Maharashtra Governor has crossed "all limits".