Mumbai: Former union minister and Shiv Sena leader Anant Geete has alleged that Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) supremo Sharad Pawar, who “backstabbed” the Congress to form his own party, cannot be a “guru” for the Shiv Sainiks.
“Pawar had formed his party by backstabbing Congress. If Congress and NCP cannot become one, the Shiv Sena also cannot toe the Congress policy entirely. Congress and NCP were not cordial always,” Geete said addressing a public rally in Raigad on Monday.
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The 70-year-old former MP from Raigad also the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in Maharashtra is just an “adjustment”.
“Sharad Pawar cannot ever be our leader as this government is mere an adjustment. Let people use as many accolades for Pawar but our 'guru' is only (late) Balasaheb Thackeray,” said Geete, who lost to NCP leader Sunil Tatkare by a narrow margin in the 2019 general elections.
Geete, however, said that he had no “ill intentions” against the Maha Vikas Aghadi government, which is made up of the Congress, NCP and Shiv Sena, and wanted it to succeed.
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“As long as this government is functioning, it will go on...If we separate, our home is Shiv Sena and we will always stick with our party,” said Geete, who served as Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises after the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.
Pawar, who is regarded as the architect and anchor of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government, had founded the NCP along with P.A. Sangma and Tariq Anwar earlier on May 25, 1999, following their expulsion from the Congress for contesting Sonia Gandhi’s right to lead the grand old party.