The nearly 13-minute speech, with a booming voice resembling that of Bal Thackeray, began with his trademark opening line Jamlelya majhya tamam Hindu bandhavanu, baghinino ani matano (greetings to my Hindu brothers, sisters and mothers who have gathered here).
Pawar convened a meeting of senior officials and took stock of the situation in the agriculture, which would require a fresh impetus in the face of increasing debt burden on farmers despite loan waivers. He takes over the reigns of the agriculture affairs when the country has harvested a bumper foodgrain production and the central pool are overflowing with wheat and rice.
We left the Congress-NCP govt because we didn't want to be with them, Shiv Sena spokesperson said.
Ajit Pawar also said he was "not interested" in contesting elections anymore.
Facing a storm of protest over his "urine" remarks on drought situation in Maharashtra, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar sat on a day-long 'aatma-klesh' (penance) fast at Karad in Satara district Sunday morning.
Shiv Sena-Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray chief Uddhav Thackeray will not switch to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance, Maharashtra Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar president Jayant Patil asserted on Thursday, seeking to scotch speculation about a possible crossover by his key ally.
The Congress, which has 37 MLAs, had fixed a quota of 30 first preference votes for its candidate Satav, and seven remaining votes were to go to its ally Sena (UBT)'s nominee Narvekar, party sources said. Eventually, Satav got 25 and Narvekar 22 first preference votes, which meant at least seven Congress MLAs cross-voted.
'Whatever decision he takes are thoroughly thought through for its repercussions.'
Nationalist Congress Party president Sharad Pawar's face-off with the United Progressive Alliance was a camouflaged attempt to hide his failure to deliver as the Agriculture Minister, Bharatiya Janata Party leader and former Union minister Ram Naik said on Wednesday.
The National Food Security Bill was scuttled by Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar who threw the spanner with a dissent note in his capacity as the Union agriculture minister.
Union Agriculture Minister and Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar on Friday said that he 'would love to have a cup of tea with Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray' during UPA presidential candidate Pranab Mukherjee's visit to Mumbai next week.
"It is time for the younger generation to play a greater role and for me to slowly step back. Isn't that a good idea," 69-year-old Pawar said at an election rally in Sholapur setting of speculation whether he was talking of any plan to retire from active politics.
Nationalist Congress Party President Sharad Pawar on Saturday said that his party had not made any offer to the disgruntled Bharatiya Janata Party leader Gopinath Munde.
'Sangma is a senior party functionary and if he has any differences on what NCP should do, then I would sit with him and sort out the issue,' he said.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Wednesday said he aspired to become the CM of the state and also took a jibe at his 83-year-old uncle asking when will the Maratha strongman retire from active politics, as he appeared to be ahead in the numbers game for control of the Nationalist Congress Party after its vertical split.
Maharashtra Home Minister R R Patil on Saturday got some stick for the "maximum" bomb blasts in the state from Nationalist Congress Party supremo Sharad Pawar who said it reflected poorly on the state administration and aroused suspicions about a "particular community".
Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar on Saturday dismissed reports about his links with multi-crore stamp paper scam accused Abdul Karim Telgi saying the utternaces of a criminal could not be trusted.
Speaking to reporters in Pune, Pawar played down the buzz saying that he is not able to attend the NCP meeting as he has to remain present for some other programmes happening at the same time.
A day after he gave the sobriquet "new Gandhian" to Anna Hazare, Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar on Friday declined to stretch the issue further.
Union Agriculture Minister and key United Progressive Alliance leader Sharad Pawar on Sunday favoured a non-political candidate as the next President in view of the fact that UPA and National Democratic Alliance did not have the strength to elect their own nominee.
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray on Saturday dared Nationalist Congress Party leader Ajit Pawar to intimidate his party without the help of the state apparatus, saying stones can come from "our side" too in an escalating war of words between the two leaders from Maharashtra.
'It was Bhujbal who took the initiative to set up the Special Investigation Team,' said the Nationalist Congress Party chief.
Nationalist Congress Party President Sharad Pawar, who of late is talking about his retirement from active politics, has said only 'sanction' from people would decide as to who would be his political heir. Pawar, in an interview to a Marathi news channel on Monday night, was reacting to a question on speculations about his Parliamentarian daughter Supriya Sule or nephew and Maharashtra minister Ajit Pawar being his possible successors in politics.
"The chief minister will be of Shiv Sena. People want Uddhav Thackeray to be the chief minister," said Raut.
'With one fell swoop he (Sharad Pawar) won the sympathies of the NCP workers at the grassroots, his own flock of MLAs and bolstered his position as the NCP chief'
Stepping up the attack on Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar, Leader of Opposition in Maharashtra assembly Eknath Khadse of Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday alleged that 326 acres of land in Pune was illegally handed over to a trust and Pawar's daughter and son-in-law own shares in a technology park, which will be build on a portion of that land.
The message from Raut read 'Namaskar mi Sanjay Raut. Jai Maharashtra'.
Union Agriculture Minister and Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar has come out in strong defence of Bharatiya Janata Party President Nitin Gadkari. In an exclusive interview to CNN-IBN's Editor-in-Chief Rajdeep Sardesai he says Gadkari was working for development of farmers and there was no evidence of personal corruption against him, as alleged by Team Kejriwal.
Expressing confidence that the United Progressive Alliance will retain power after the Lok Sabha elections, Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar on Monday said he was not averse to the idea of cobbling together a government with the Third Front should the Centre's ruling alliance fall short of a majority.
Despite the Nationalist Congress Party upset with the new pecking order in the government, Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar on Monday steered clear of the controversy in the wake of his being relegated to the third position in the Union Cabinet.
Sharad Pawar on Friday evening announced that he was not stepping down as the president of the Nationalist Congress Party.
If these MLAs return to the NCP, Ajit Pawar's support will reduce further.
Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Friday suggested the Opposition needs to come together and strengthen the alliance.
The press conference of the Mahayuti allies in Mumbai after they staked claim to form government in Maharashtra witnessed some banter thanks to Ajit Pawar, a 'veteran' deputy chief minister.
Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar on Saturday said that there was "no division" in the United Progressive Alliance over the Lokpal issue even as his party spokesperson criticised Anna Hazare's arrest.
'I was never interested to work as Leader of Opposition but accepted the role on demand of the party MLAs'
Union minister Tariq Anwar on Thursday said Nationalist Congress Party president Sharad Pawar has sent a "strong message" to those targeting migrants from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, by making him a Union minister.
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray launched a scathing attack on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), questioning the outcome of the recent Maharashtra assembly elections and alleging hypocrisy in the BJP's stance on corruption. He also hinted at internal changes within the MNS, emphasizing the need for discipline and a renewed focus on the party's goals.
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