Mumbai, May 16 (PTI) Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who also heads the NCP, has called himself a leader known for delivering on his promises, prompting rival NCP (SP) to quip that the claim is meaningless without “ethics”.
Speaking at a party event in Pune on Thursday, Pawar said, “Everyone knows that I’m true to my word. If I make a promise, I will deliver on it. If I say I’ll make someone an MP, I’ll do that as well.”
He added, “If I say I will ensure a person’s (electoral) defeat, I will do it.”
NCP (SP) spokesperson Amol Matele made a jibe at Pawar’s assertions, saying, “Ajitdada is indeed true to his word – not for the common man but for his own people.”
“You said you will give Rs 2,100 to the beneficiaries of the Ladki Bahin scheme. Elections are over, but our dear sisters are yet to receive Rs 2,100 a month. Those who consider power their family estate will never understand the true value of democracy.”
He said the country needs leaders who speak the truth. “The word is meaningless without morals, ethics, and if it lacks the idea of welfare of the common man,” he said.
The Sharad Pawar-founded Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) split in 2023 after Ajit Pawar broke away and joined the BJP-led Mahayuti government. While he subsequently got the original party name and its symbol, the faction headed by Sharad Pawar came to be known as NCP (SP).