Rohit Pawar alleges Sunil Tatkare wanted to take Ajitdada's place after his death

Baramati: MLA Rohit Pawar has alleged that MP Sunil Tatkare wanted to take the place of the late Deputy Chief Minister Ajitdada after his death and had also made efforts towards this. According to Pawar, this is why Tatkare's earlier and present statements differ. He made the remarks while speaking to reporters.

Pawar, along with his family, visited Ajitdada's memorial at Vidya Pratishthan in Baramati and paid tribute. He then spoke to the media.

Asked why Tatkare's stand on the talk of a merger appeared contradictory, Pawar said that after Ajitdada's passing some people wanted to take his place and keep control of the party in their hands. Against this background, the media had been told, for the world to hear, that Ajitdada had held no merger discussion with them.

Pawar said those people later realised that the legislators would not come with them. This must have increased their restlessness, and nine months later they said that had Ajitdada been alive, the merger would have happened. Pawar said that when things do not go as people wish, they sometimes lose their mental balance. One thing was said then and another now, and Tatkare may have ended up in a similar state, he said. He made the jibe on this occasion.

On the question of an NCP merger, Pawar said the BJP is a party of capitalists, sets people against each other in the name of caste and religion, and breaks up families. "We will therefore never go with such a party," he said. He added that this was his own personal stand.