‘Rahul Gandhi will lead country someday’: Sharad Pawar on benefits of pan-India Bharat Jodo Yatra

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar on Wednesday said that Rahul Gandhi was being taken seriously after the Bharat Jodo Yatra, and someday the Congress leader would lead the country.

Speaking during an interaction at the India Today Conclave, Pawar said the arrest of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Sanjay Singh by the Enforcement Directorate in a case related to alleged irregularities in the Delhi excise policy will further strengthen the Opposition’s INDIA bloc.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal recently told him that the AAP was ready to cede three of the seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi to the Congress, he said.

He will not contest the 2024 elections but work for others, the 82-year-old leader said, while also reiterating that there was no question of his joining the Bharatiya Janata Party.

“Those who have gone with BJP have nothing to do with the NCP. They have switched sides because of the threat of investigation agencies,” Pawar senior said, referring to the NCP rebel faction led by his nephew Ajit Pawar which joined the BJP-Shiv Sena government in Maharashtra in July.

“After his Bharat Jodo Yatra, Rahul Gandhi is being taken seriously and he will provide leadership to the nation someday,” the veteran leader said.

The Samajwadi Party gets extremely good response in Uttar Pradesh, Pawar said.

Recently, there was a by-election (in UP) and that (assembly) seat belonged to the BJP, but it lost by a margin of almost 60,000 votes. That is the trend we are seeing. Congress will definitely revive in Uttar Pradesh. Congress will improve its position in Haryana. I will not be surprised if it got a clear majority to form government (in Haryana), the NCP chief added.

In Delhi and Punjab, the AAP can do well, he said, adding that the BJP, thus, is “not in the picture” in several states.

The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition of the NCP faction led by him, Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena and Congress would definitely form government in Maharashtra after the next year’s assembly elections, Pawar claimed.

The MVA has done a constituency-wise analysis in the state, he said.

“Definitely, we will form a government in Maharashtra….in the last (Lok Sabha) elections, we got only four seats here. But this time, I will not be surprised if we get at least 50 percent of seats,” he added.

Pawar also ruled out any rapprochement with the faction led by Ajit Pawar, now Maharashtra’s deputy chief minister. He was neither hurt nor was he angry with Ajit, but did not approve of his decision to join hands with the BJP, Sharad Pawar said.

“Those from the NCP who went with the BJP did so because of the threat from investigating agencies. Those who switched sides enjoyed many positions in the government and outside the government, but left because of the threat of investigating agencies,” Pawar said.

He also rejected Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’s claim that it was Pawar who recommended President’s rule amid the government formation deadlock following the 2019 assembly elections in the state.

“If they (the BJP) decide to impose the President’s rule, why should we say no.  They have the numbers, why would they listen to me,” Pawar said.

On a question about his association with industrialist Gautam Adani, Pawar said, “I am open to development.” When further asked about Rahul Gandhi’s criticism of Adani, Pawar said, “Ask Rahul Gandhi about it.”

Asked how can the INDIA allies have different views, and how will the alliance work, Pawar said, “It will work.”