NCP rebel launches offensive against Sharad Pawar, later apologises

Veteran Dilip Walse-Patil who has now left Pawar's side started as the strongman's personal assistant.

The factional fight within the 25-year-old Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) took a new turn with Sharad Pawar being targeted yet again - this time by veteran Dilip Walse-Patil, who started his career as a personal assistant to the Maratha strongman and rose up the ladder of Maharashtra politics. 

However, amid a backlash, Walse-Patil chose to apologise saying that his statement has been misconstrued. 

Currently the Cooperation Minister in the BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP government led by Eknath Shinde, Walse-Patil (66) is a seven-time MLA from Ambegaon in the Pune district and had served as minister in the erstwhile Democratic Front and Maha Vikas Aghadi governments, besides having served as Speaker of Maharashtra Legislative Assembly for five years. 

Walse-Patil’s attack on the 82-year-old Pawar comes months after the statements of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, NCP working president Praful Patel and Food and Civil Supplies Minister Chhagan Bhujbal, who had targeted Pawar after the July 2 split.

Addressing a party meeting on Sunday, Walse-Patil spoke about Pawar not being able to form government in Maharashtra on his own strength. "We have always maintained that Pawar saheb is the tallest leader in the country, but under his leadership, we have never come to power in the state on our own...there is (West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo) Mamata Banerjee…. there is (former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and BSP supremo) Mayawati. There are many regional parties which are going forward and despite having a tall leader were only getting 60-70 seats in the Assembly,” he said in what was a justification to switch over to the NDA camp.

However, when he came under fire Walse-Patil tendered an apology. “In my speech yesterday, I did not criticize or say anything wrong about Pawar saheb…My point was that when we had such a great leader, the people of Maharashtra should have stood by him. Yesterday I expressed my regret that it did not happen. I did not express this regret only yesterday. I had spoken about this in many internal party meetings, too, and in party functions too. I can’t speak against Pawar saheb. ….my comments were misconstrued by the media,” he said. 

While senior leaders of the rebel Ajit Pawar-Praful Patel faction maintained silence, leaders of the Sharad Pawar-Supriya Sule group slammed Walse-Patil.

Senior NCP leader and former minister Dr Jitendra Awhad said: “I saw this video and felt sad to see the moral degradation of Walse-Patil. Saheb's most trusted companion, this man who was very intelligent, turned out to be very ungrateful. Many of the leaders have sold loyalty for sake of power….even after giving everything to many people, Saheb always remained humble.”

NCP national spokesperson Clyde Crasto said, "What a fall from grace of a man whose political existence was created by Pawar saheb. Fear and lust for power has turned Walse-Patil into an ungrateful man. Do these kinds of people have a conscience?”