Following Ajit Pawar’s jibe at Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar over his age suggesting that he should retire from electoral politics, the senior Pawar on Saturday replied saying that he will continue working as party workers want him to keep going.
“Do you know at what age Morarji Desai became the prime minister? I don’t want to become the PM or a minister but only want to serve the people,” Pawar said, further asserting that he was not old yet, echoing former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s words, saying, “Na tired hu, na retired hu.” (I am neither tired nor retired).
“Who are they to tell me to retire? I can still work,” Pawar said in an interview.
The senior Pawar, on remarks by Ajit Pawar that he was sidelined as he wasn’t the son of Sharad Pawar, said that whenever the NCP got a ministerial berth at the Centre, it was given to others but not to Supriya Sule, despite her being a Member of Parliament.
His remarks come a week after Ajit Pawar and eight other NCP MLAs left his fold to join the Eknath Shinde-led government.
On Saturday, Sharad Pawar kickstarted his statewide tour by holding a rally at Yeola in Nashik district, the constituency of rebel party leader and minister Chhagan Bhujbal.