Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) founder Sharad Pawar, whose outfit suffered a split in early July in Maharashtra, will address a public rally in Kolhapur on Friday, a week ahead of the opposition INDIA alliance meeting in Mumbai, his faction said on Tuesday.
Since rebellion by his nephew Ajit Pawar, who joined hands with the BJP and the Shiv Sena last month and became deputy chief minister, the NCP patriarch has been holding rallies in different parts of the state. He addressed a rally on August 17 in Beed district, the home turf of NCP (Ajit Pawar group) leader and cabinet minister Dhananjay Munde.
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Speaking to reporters here, NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) chief spokesperson Mahesh Tapase said, “Sharad Pawar will address his next public rally in Kolhapur on Friday (August 25). He will also address rallies in Jalgaon and Pune districts.” He, however, did not provide the dates for rallies in Jalgaon and Pune districts.
Ahead of the INDIA alliance meeting scheduled in Mumbai on August 31 and September 1, the senior Pawar has been addressing rallies and coming down heavily on the Narendra Modi government.
While speaking recently in Pune, the former Union minister lashed out at rebel NCP leaders, reportedly calling them “cowards” who joined the BJP-Shiv Sena government to avoid legal action. However, the NCP founder did not take anyone's name.
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“Sharad Pawar on July 5 (three days after Ajit Pawar and eight other party MLAs joined Eknath Shinde cabinet) made it clear that the those who joined the Shiv Sena-led government have nothing to do with the NCP's political line. There is no question of compromising on principles. We are against the Union government's autocratic way of functioning,” Tapase said.
