Vilas Lande, a former Pimpri-Chinchwad legislator, urged BJP state unit chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule in a letter to refrain from making such comments.
Leaders of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) were uneasy a day after Amit Shah attacked Sharad Pawar harshly and called him a “ringleader of corruption.” They were afraid that the remarks would make people feel better about the NCP (SP) head.
Vilas Lande, a former Pimpri-Chinchwad lawmaker who was perceived as close to Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, voiced displeasure with Shah’s comments. Additionally, he urged Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state unit president Chandrashekhar Bawankule to refrain from making such comments in a letter.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi attacked Sharad Pawar before the Lok Sabha elections, labeling him a ‘wandering soul’ (bhakti aatma),’ which made people feel sorry for the leader. It is inappropriate to make such comments about the 84-year-old, according to Lande.
The comments were also met with criticism by Pimpri-based NCP legislator Anna Bansode, who stated, “Sharad Pawar is a revered figure in Maharashtra, and the statement by Amit Shah was inappropriate.”
Ajit Pawar’s party leader, who asked to remain anonymous, stated that since Sharad Pawar hasn’t held public office for over a decade, any personal attacks on him could potentially hurt him in elections.
“When such remarks were directed towards him, we witnessed what transpired during the Lok Sabha elections. The statement obviously backfired because Mahayuti lost a lot of seats in Western Maharashtra, including Baramati, the leader who had previously held a position in parliament.
The Executive President of the National Congress Party (SP), Supriya Sule, questioned the Home Minister, questioning why the Modi government awarded Padma Vibhushan to Pawar if he was so corrupt.
“Many people who were accused of corruption by the BJP are now members of the party,” stated Sule.
However, the BJP intends to highlight Shah’s comments. “The party has planned to publish documents of alleged corruption cases with links to Sharad Pawar and distribute them to voters ahead of the polls,” stated Dheeraj Ghate, leader of the Pune chapter.
Shah declared, “Sharad Pawar is the biggest’ (ringleader) of corruption in Indian politics,” during his speech at the BJP’s state convention in Pune on Sunday. About this, I’m not confused at all. He declared, “I am openly saying that Pawar has institutionalized corruption in the nation,” accusing the longtime lawmaker of failing to advance Maharashtra’s interests or the welfare of the nation during his tenure in office.
This was Shah’s first trip to the state following the BJP’s crushing defeat in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, which saw its total drop from 23 seats to just nine.
