PUNE: NCP president Sharad Pawar on Wednesday said he and then-Prime Minister Manmohan Singh were of the opinion that no "vindictive" politics should be played against Narendra Modi when he was Gujarat Chief Minister.
Speaking during an event organised by Marathi daily 'Loksatta', Pawar said barring him, there was no other minister in the erstwhile UPA government who could have a dialogue with Modi as he used to constantly attack the Manmohan Singh dispensation.
The veteran politician was the agriculture minister in the Congress-led UPA government (2004-2014).
Replying to a question whether he and Singh were of the opinion that no action should be taken against Modi as he was a CM at a time when central agencies and the then-government were after him, Pawar said, "It is partly true".
"When Modiji was CM of Gujarat, I was at the Centre. When PM used to call meeting of all chief ministers, Modiji used to lead a group of CMs of BJP-ruled states and used to attack the Centre."
"So strategy used to be chalked out on how to respond to Modi during a such situation. There was not a single minister in the UPA government who could have a dialogue with Modiji except me," the Rajya Sabha member said.
The 81-year-old parliamentarian said in internal meetings of the UPA, he used to tell everybody present that even if there were differences between them and Modi and his party BJP, one should not forget that he was a chief minister.
"I used to say in meetings that we should not forget that he is the CM of a state and people have given mandate to him.
If he is coming here with issues, it is our national duty to ensure that differences are resolved and the interest of the people from his state are not affected," Pawar said.
He said then-PM Manmohan Singh supported his opinion.
"I was the only central minister who used to go to Gujarat and used to look into the issues of the state," he added.
"I and Singh were of the opinion that we should not play vindictive politics (against then CM Modi).
We were of the opinion that we should not go out of the established framework (of administration) and we never did that," Pawar said.
The NCP leader, however, said certain members of the UPA coalition took an extreme stand against some people in the Gujarat government.
He also said if he had sent his party colleague Ajit Pawar to join hands with the BJP to form a government in Maharashtra after Assembly polls in 2019, then he would have ensured the dispensation stayed in power.
Ajit Pawar had stunned political circles in the state by teaming up with Devendra Fadnavis in late 2019 to form a government, with the latter as CM, before it fell in a little over three days.
Speaking at an event organised by Marathi newspaper Loksatta, Pawar, when queried on this topic, said, "If I would have sent him (Ajit Pawar), then I would have made sure they would have (formed and ) continued the government," The NCP chief also said the MVA government under Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray was doing well, adding that even as the latter was unwell for the past 10 days, there were other ministers with experience of administration.
Speaking about the possible political scenario post the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and whether he would be at the helm of affairs, the former Union minister said he would like to "support and guide the person who will be heading the government" rather than lead it.
He said the number of rallies and programmes being attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Uttar Pradesh, where polls are scheduled for early 2022, means the ruling party there has taken cognisance of the ground reality.
He praised Modi's style of functioning, saying once he takes up any task, he makes sure it is completed.
Speaking at an event in Pune organized by Marathi daily 'Loksatta', Pawar said Modi takes a lot of efforts and gives ample time to get things done.
"His temperament is such that once he takes up any task in hand, he will make sure that he will not stop till the time it (the task) reached its conclusion. He has a good hold on administration and that is his strong side," said the Rajya Sabha member.
The NCP president, a political rival of the PM's party BJP, was replying to a question about what changes he has observed in Modi as a leader in all these years.
Pawar said if decisions taken by the administration are not in sync with the common people and their aspirations, then one being hardworking is not enough as end results can not be neglected.
"On this aspect, I see a lacuna," he said.
The veteran politician said the PM emphasizes on how the administration and his colleagues can come together to ensure effective implementation of his government's policies.
Modi has a different method of taking his colleagues along and that style was missing in past PMs like Manmohan Singh, the former Union minister said.
Asked about actions taken by central agencies against some ministers in Maharashtra, which has a Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress government and whether he ever wanted to raise this issue with the PM, Pawar said he has never spoken to Modi about the matter in the past and will never do so in the future as well.
He also said he never gave up the ideologies of Mahatma Gandhi, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and Yashwantrao Chavan even after parting ways with the Congress to form his own party.
Speaking at an event in Pune, he said he does not repent that he waited till 1999 to form the Nationalist Congress Party.
"My family followed some different ideology, it was more of Leftist ideology. I came to Pune in 1958 and the youth like me were driven by the ideologies of Gandhi, Nehru, and Chavan. We went to the bottom of that thought and adopted it and worked further," he said.
"The Congress was the mainstay of that ideology and that is why never thought of going away from it. Never thought of doing something different. I had to take this decision (of forming NCP ) because the Congress had removed me from the party for six years," he said.
He said he paid the price for putting forth some opinions in the Congress executive meet that did not get "digested".
"Even if we left the Congress and formed NCP, we never gave up the thoughts of Gandhi, Nehru and Chavan," he stressed.
When asked that there was a common perception Pawar's help would be needed to bring the Congress into the mainstream, he said the need today was that all like-minded elements come together as the overall situation of the country was a little "anxious".
He added that farm bills were brought to Parliament and passed without any discussion.
Pawar was speaking at a book launch and an event organised by Marathi daily Loksatta.
He also added that he was not ready to come back to Maharashtra as Chief Minister from the Centre during riots that took place in Mumbai post-Babri Masjid demolition, but he was "made emotional" and asked to take the reins of the state in 1993.
The veteran parliamentarian said ultimately he did not feel sad on coming back to the riot-hit Mumbai as he got an opportunity to restore communal harmony and bring back the metropolis to normalcy after the 1993 serial bomb blasts.
Pawar also recalled how he "lied" about a "blast" that year which did not actually take place.
Pawar, then in the Congress, was defence minister in the cabinet of Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao and took over as Maharashtra CM in March 1993 replacing the incumbent Sudharkarrao Naik.
Replying to a question whether it was his decision to come back to Maharashtra as CM in 1993 from Delhi, Pawar replied in the negative.
"After the Babri Masjid demolition (in December 1992), riots broke out in Mumbai. The normal life in Mumbai had collapsed for 14 to 15 days. I was the defence minister in the P V Narasimha Rao government. I was told to go to the state and take the position (as CM)," Pawar recalled.
The veteran politician was speaking at an event in Pune organized by Marathi daily 'Loksatta' whose editor Girish Kuber interviewed him on the occasion.
The former Union minister said initially he was not keen to take charge of the state and went back to Delhi, but eventually returned to take over as CM.
Pawar said the reason he had to come back again was that the riots had flared up in the metropolis.
"After the riots further intensified, a discussion between PM Rao, (senior Congress leader) NKP Salve, myself, and some other leaders took place and it was discussed that if peace does not come back to Mumbai, a message would go out to the world that the country is drifting away from stability as Mumbai has a special importance around the globe," he said.
The Rajya Sabha MP, a multiple-time CM, said it was an emotional decision for him to come back to his home state and once again handle its affairs.
"I was called at the PM's residence and I was told that there is no other recourse than to return to the state. I was not willing to go. For over 6 hours, it was insisted (that he go to Mumbai)."
"I was even made emotional and told that the 'state, where I was born and brought and from where I came till here (Delhi), was burning and in such a situation, if you (Pawar ) are not taking the responsibility, it would sadden them'," said Pawar.
The octogenarian leader said in that given situation, he had to take the decision to return to the state.
Asked whether his return to Maharashtra created any hurdles in his emergence as a prominent national leader, Pawar said "It could be possible."
Pawar, who left the Congress to form the NCP in 1999, said after coming to the state, he tried to bring communal harmony between communities.
Speaking about the March 12, 1993, terror attacks in Mumbai, just days after he took over as chief minister, he recalled that in a span of just 45 minutes, bomb blasts took place at 11 places in the metropolis.
"All these 11 places were dominated by the Hindu community. Government offices were located there. I sensed that these blasts may reflect in the conflict between Hindu and Muslims and (other) people, too, shared similar sentiments," Pawar said.
He said to calm frayed tempers, he immediately issued an appeal to people and informed them that bomb blasts had taken place at "12 places" though the actual number was 11.
"I said that the 12th spot where the bomb blast had taken place was Mohammed Ali Road, which was a Muslim-dominated area. The objective was to tell both the communities that the attacks were not targeted at just one community," Pawar said.
The veteran politician maintained had he not lied that day, there would have been big riots in the financial capital.
"Because of this, nothing happened in Mumbai later. We wanted to send a message that Mumbai was on track. When do people think that Mumbai is on track? When local trains, BEST buses and vehicles carrying milk are running. We ensured that these three things were running the next day (after March 12, 1993 bombings)," he said.
Pawar said one of the sites where the blast had taken place was the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE).
"We started the functioning of the stock exchange and sent a message to the world that the situation in Mumbai was normal and the blasts did not deter the city, everything was in place," he said.
"Had I not returned to the state, a different picture would have emerged. So I had to come (to Mumbai from Delhi) though I had no desire to come back (as CM). (but) I was not at all sad. I got an opportunity to face a challenge through this," Pawar said.