NCP chief Sharad Pawar stepped in to undo the damage done by his nephew and Deputy Chief Minster of Maharashtra Ajit Pawar’s suggestion that empty dams be filled by urinating in them.
“I duly apologise on the behalf of Deputy CM of Maharashtra for the unwanted comment that he had made,” Pawar wrote on social networking site Twitter. At a public gathering in Indapur near Pune on April 6, Ajit made the controversial remark while commenting on Bhaiyya Deshmukh’s 55-day fast demanding drinking water for his village.
“Such remarks went against the cultured government of the state,” Pawar told reporters later. Ajit needed to change the way he reacts, Pawar commented.
Ajit, who had said sorry on Sunday, repeated his apology in the state Assembly on Monday.
Seeking the Deputy Chief Minister’s resignation, the Opposition led by BJP leaders Sudhir Mungantiwar, Devendra Phadanvis, Girish Bapat, Nana Patole and Eknath Shinde of the Shiv Sena stalled the proceedings, resulting in two adjournments.
MNS chief Raj Thackeray went a bit further. “It is clear that power and money have done Pawar in. The NCP will drown in the urine of the voters in the next elections,” he said.
Vinod Tawde, Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council, moved a proposal to debate Ajit’s crass statement, which saw House chairman Shivajirao Deshmukh asking the Deputy Chief Minister to make a statement on the issue.