After ‘no show’ at NCP convention, Ajit Pawar quashes rumours of rift within party

Blames media for twisting facts; says other senior leaders, too, could not speak owing to time constraints

A day after he set political rumour mills abuzz by not speaking at the Nationalist Congress Party’s national convention in New Delhi, senior NCP leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Monday refuted suggestions that he had deliberately skipped speaking because he was “upset” with the party

On Sunday, Mr. Pawar was seen abruptly exiting the dais in front of his uncle Sharad Pawar and other senior NCP leaders when NCP State President Jayant Patil got up to speak.

This prompted Ajit Pawar’s supporters at the convention to raise slogans demanding that ‘Dada’ (as Mr. Pawar is popularly known) be “allowed” to speak.

Given the alleged tensions between Mr. Pawar and Mr. Patil, the former’s apparent walking out sparked rumours of a rift within the NCP.

However, speaking to reporters in Mumbai today, Mr. Pawar insisted that the media was attempting to read too much into the incident and was blowing things out of proportion without regard to fact.

“It was our party’s national conference. Our State president Jayant Patil presented the Maharashtra’s position in the conference. There were other leaders who were waiting to speak. Given time constraints, even senior leaders like Sunil Tatkare and Vandana Chavan could not have their say. And as everybody wanted to hear our national president Sharad Pawar saaheb, it was decided that he would speak. I had gone to the washroom and it was presented in the media as if I am unhappy,” he said.

Stating that no one had stopped him from speaking, Mr. Pawar said he had gone to the restroom for a few minutes.