Sharad Pawar 'thanks' PM Modi, says he will rebuild NCP; key meeting in Mumbai on July 5

On a day when the Nationalist Congress Party witnessed a major coup, party chief Sharad Pawar has summoned all district presidents, state executive members, taluk presidents, and other office bearers to Mumbai on July 5. The meeting, to be held at the Yashwantrao Chavan Centre at 1 pm, will deliberate on the developments that happened on July 2 when Ajit Pawar rebelled along with nine other NCP leaders and joined the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government, NCP state unit chief Jayant Patil said.

On Sunday evening, Sharad Pawar took to Twitter to say that as far as the question about the future of the party, the current situation may be new to others but not new to him. He also, sarcastically, thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for "exonerating" the party and "those against whom the allegations were made". 

He said, "Two days ago, the Prime Minister of our country made a statement targeting the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). Within that statement, he made two significant claims. Firstly, he asserted that the NCP is a party marred by corruption, citing specific complaints related to the State Co-operative Bank and Irrigation Department. However, in a surprising turn of events, today the Prime Minister administered the oath to several NCP colleagues who were inducted into the state cabinet. This action seems to contradict the earlier allegations, suggesting that they may not hold true. I express my gratitude to the Prime Minister for absolving the party and those individuals who were subject to these allegations."

"It is worth noting that some of our party members have adopted divergent positions, deviating from the party's official stance. In light of this situation, I have scheduled a party function on July 5, where we will discuss potential organizational changes. Prior to this, several colleagues had already expressed contrasting opinions. The public will gain clarity regarding the different positions taken by certain legislators in the coming days," he added.

Recalling the situation he found himself in 1980, Sharad Pawar said: "After the 1980 elections, when I was leading the party, all but six out of 58 MLAs left within a month. I regrouped by joining forces with five MLAs and reconstructed the party. In the subsequent elections, we faced defection from only a couple of individuals, while the rest experienced defeat. Therefore, it is my objective to recreate the scenario witnessed in 1980 with the support of the people of Maharashtra."