Mumbai : Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar responded to Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’s remarks targeting him and indicated that the BJP leader was not aware of history and was making statements out of ignorance. Talking to the media in Baramati, Sharad Pawar said that when I formed the government in 1977, BJP was with me in the form of Jana Sangh. Uttamrao Patil was the Deputy CM. Hashu Advani was there. The government has been formed by taking everyone along. He (Devendra Fadnavis) must have been in primary school then and hence he has no idea about it.
Fadnavis defended Eknath Shinde’s betrayal
Earlier, Devendra Fadnavis criticized Sharad Pawar’s remarks attacking Chief Minister Eknath Shinde over ‘betrayal’. The BJP leader asked the question while talking about Sharad Pawar breaking away from the Congress in 1977 and forming his own government, in which he said how Eknath Shinde’s move can be called a betrayal and what Sharad Pawar did in 1977 was diplomatic. How can it be said?
Fadnavis gives statement anonymously
Sharad Pawar gave a sharp reply to the criticisms of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, NCP President Sharad Pawar bluntly said that we had formed the government in 1977, but at that time BJP was with me. Perhaps Devendra Fadnavis was in primary school at that time. That’s why they don’t have any information about that time. He gives such a statement by remaining anonymous.
Fadnavis doesn’t know history: Sharad Pawar
If Eknath Shinde does it, it is dishonesty and if Pawar Saheb does it, it is diplomacy? Answering this question of Devendra Fadnavis, Sharad Pawar said that when did Pawar do this? He should tell us when he did it. We formed the government in 1977, then the BJP was with me. He was young then. That’s why he wouldn’t have done it. Devendra Fadnavis may not know the past history, but for his information let me tell you that I formed the government with everyone. At that time Uttamrao Patil of Jansangh was the Deputy Chief Minister. Then Hashu Advani and some other members were there. They may have been in it.
Pawar government was dismissed by Indira Gandhi: Fadnavis
In a program organized on the occasion of the ninth anniversary of the Modi government in Chandrapur, Devendra Fadnavis targeted Sharad Pawar, referring to the events of 1977. He said that Sharad Pawar came out with 40 MLAs from Vasantdada Patil’s cabinet. He formed the government with the then BJP. That government lasted for two years. If Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had not dismissed that government, that government would have run for five years.