NCP attempted to lure NCP(SP) leader Sharad Pawar: Jayant Patil

Mumbai: Ajit Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party attempted to lure Nationalist Congress Party (SP) leader Sharad Pawar to its side, the latter party's president Jayant Patil claimed on Friday. He said that Ajit Pawar's party's attempts failed, IANS reported.

Patil claimed that Sharad Pawar wasn't ready to compromise on his ideology and principles, and he would never side with the Bharatiya Janata Party or the ruling MahaYuti in Maharashtra.

Patil said, "They tried a lot to take him (Sharad Pawar). But he has always been clear on his ideological principles and would never support the BJP. Despite the claims by the (rival) NCP, has anybody gone there."

Further, on BJP's claims that NCP (SP) is a fake, Patil laughed and said it was strange that first, they break a party and then call the original party a fake, as they did with the (undivided) Shiv Sena, which split in June 2022, followed by the (undivided) NCP that broke up in July 2023.

He referred to certain statements made by (ruling) Shiv Sena MP Gajanand Kirtikar's claims about the party broke up and said the people must take cognisance of the same.

Patil was reacting to the statements of NCP's working president, Praful Patel. Patel claimed that in July 2023, Sharad Pawar was "50 per cent" prepared to extend support to the BJP after his nephew Ajit Pawar split the party to join the ruling MahaYuti government.

However, Sharad Pawar dithered at the last minute, and it did not materialise, contended Patel.

He added that while Ajit Pawar took oath as Deputy CM on July 2, 2023, a fortnight later, the breakaway faction leaders met Sharad Pawar in Mumbai and Pune, but the latter was reluctant at the last minute.

Top NCP (SP) leaders, including Sharad Pawar, Jayant Patil, Clyde Crasto, Mahesh Tapase and others, dismissed Patel's statements as "blatant lies", terming it as a deliberate attempt by the rival NCP leader to sow confusion in the minds of the people ahead of the Lok Sabha 2024 elections.