I am called Sharad Pawar, says NCP (SP) chief as he loses cool

The 83-year-old, known as Saheb, who leads the NCP (SP) named after him, expressed displeasure towards NCP MLA Sunil Shelke, representing Maval, for allegedly threatening party workers and supporters.

Mumbai: The otherwise cool as a cucumber Sharad Pawar lost his temper in the serene hill station of Lonavala on the Mumbai-Pune route, as he slammed an NCP MLA stating, “…I am called Sharad Pawar…I don’t spare anyone.”

The 83-year-old Saheb, as Pawar is popularly known, who now heads the NCP (SP), which is named after him, showed displeasure towards NCP MLA Sunil Shelke, who represents Maval, for allegedly threatening his party workers and supporters. 

After the June-July 2023 split in the NCP, Shelke had left Pawar and his daughter Supriya Sule and joined the rival camp led by his nephew Ajit Pawar, who switched over to the BJP-led NDA camp to become the Deputy Chief Minister in the government headed by Shiv Sena’s Eknath Shinde. 

Shelke had warned people against attending Pawar's rally in Lonavala. Upon learning of this, Pawar was visibly agitated.

“If you threaten my people, then remember… I am called ‘Sharad Pawar’. I never traverse such a route…but if someone creates a bad situation then I will not spare them,” he said amid thunderous applause. 

Pawar, a four-time Chief Minister and three-time union minister, said “…did you forget who made you an MLA? I had signed your nomination form with the party name and symbol for your candidature.”

Without mincing words, Pawar reminded Shelke that he had come and addressed his election rally during the 2019 Vidhan Sabha polls.

Later when Ajit Pawar was asked about Pawar’s outburst, he said that he was not aware and he would check from Shelke. 

On his part, Shelke said that Pawar was misinformed. 

“Saheb has never made personal attacks against anybody but he must  prove the  allegations...he has been misinformed...,” he said. 

Pawar also came down heavily on those who hijacked the NCP founded by him 25 years ago and now  abusing and threatening NCP (SP) workers in the run up to the Lok Sabha polls. 

Reacting to the development, Fadnavis said that such remarks do not suit the stature of Pawar.  “…after putting in 55 years in public life, this is not the language against an MLA,” he said.