'People Did Not Appreciate': Sharad Pawar Takes Dig At Ajit, Says 'Not Worried' Over Losing NCP Name, Symbol
Sharad Pawar highlighted that while individuals may come and go from positions of power, the core values, policies, and vision for national progress remain constant.
New Delhi: Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar chief Sharad Pawar said he was not worried over losing the NCP name and symbol as he emphasised the importance of staying true to one's ideological principles, news agency PTI reported.
Addressing a public meeting in Satara in western Maharashtra, he spoke about the recent developments within the party, particularly the split that occurred last July when Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar led a faction to join the Eknath Shinde government.
Sharad Pawar highlighted that while individuals may come and go from positions of power, the core values, policies, and vision for national progress remain constant.
In what appeared to be a veiled criticism of Ajit Pawar's faction, Sharad Pawar said that some individuals strayed from the party's foundational principles and opted for a different path. He expressed his belief that such deviations from ideology were not appreciated by the public.
“Some of our colleagues deviated from this path. Some took away the party, some took away the symbol. I never worry about all this. Some people chose to go on a different path by forsaking ideology but people did not appreciate this move,” PTI quoted the party veteran as saying.
He further said that he found it "amusing" to hear claims from those who departed that they did so in pursuit of development.
He argued that serving the nation isn't solely contingent on holding positions of power, citing examples such as Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who spent years in opposition yet remained steadfast in his ideological convictions.
"Atal Bihari Vajpayee was in the opposition for several years. Did he not serve the country? Did he ever think of leaving his party to serve the country by leaving behind his ideology? Though we had our differences, one thing everyone has to accept is that he (Vajpayee) always preserved his ideology,” PTI quoted Pawar as saying.
Drawing parallels to instances where leaders chose to remain in the Opposition despite opportunities for power, Sharad Pawar questioned the wisdom of abandoning one's party and ideology in pursuit of governance.
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