Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) chief Sharad Pawar denied any possibility of joining hands with nephew Ajit Pawar, asserting that he “would never support the BJP-led alliance.” His statement comes amid speculation after the two were seen together at a family function in Mumbai. On August 3, Sharad Pawar and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar attended the engagement ceremony of Sharad Pawar's grandnephew, Yugendra Pawar. Their joint appearance quickly fueled chatter about a potential political thaw between the rival camps. This is not the first time Pawar Sr. has refuted such claims. In June, he dismissed similar talk, making it clear that his party would not ally with those who had joined hands with the BJP for power.
Sharad Pawar on Rahul Gandhi’s ‘voter theft’ presentation
Sharad Pawar also weighed in on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s recent press conference, saying Gandhi had addressed issues from Karnataka and Maharashtra despite no elections there, and had done a complete study before raising them.“...and it is up to the Election Commission of India (ECI) to look into the matter,” he said.
On Trump’s tariff policy
Commenting on US President Donald Trump’s reported tariff proposals of 25–50%, Pawar called it an attempt to pressure India.
“On such issues, all of us citizens should support the government to safeguard national interests. I wouldn’t say diplomacy has failed, but Trump’s approach is unpredictable he does whatever comes to mind. We shouldn’t over-focus on him, but we cannot ignore foreign policy concerns,” Pawar said.
He added, “If you look at India’s map, Pakistan is against us, Nepal is upset, Bangladesh is upset, Sri Lanka is upset our neighbours are drifting away. PM Modi should not ignore this and must focus on improving these relations.
