A day after resigning as a member of Maharashtra Assembly, NCP leader Ajit Pawar on Saturday said he took the decision as part chief and his uncle Sharad Pawar was being defamed because of him.
A day after resigning as a member of Maharashtra Assembly, NCP leader Ajit Pawar on Saturday said he took the decision as part chief and his uncle Sharad Pawar was being defamed because of him.
The former deputy chief minister resigned as an MLA on Friday, following the Enforcement Directorate (ED) registering a money laundering case against him. Ajit Pawar, who represented Baramati in the assembly, remained incommunicado throughout the day on Friday.
"Sharad Pawar has no connection with the Maharashtra State Co-operative Bank (MSCP). I feel his name has been dragged just because I am his relative. Because of me, Sharad Pawar and NCP are being defamed. This is the reason I have resigned without asking him," said Pawar at a press conference in Mumbai.
Questioning the timing of the ED case, he said: "This has happened when the elections are at doorsteps. Why this whole thing came in on the eve of election time."
Mr Pawar said he had informed Assembly Speaker that he was resigning due to personal and requested him to accept his resignation. "The Speaker asked me about the reason, but I told him that I will speak about it later," he said.
The NCP leader said that after tendering his resignation, he did not go to meet Sharad Pawar as his priority is to help the flood-affected people in his constituency Baramati.
"After my resignation, questions were raised as to why I didn't go to meet Sharad Pawar. I want to clarify that I am giving priority to the flood victims of Baramati," he said.
"Last time also there was an allegation of Rs 70,000 crore scam against me. Five years have passed and inquiry has not yet been completed yet," he said.
"Now again at the time of the election, Rs 25,000 crore scam has been found out. People must be thinking that I can't settle for less than thousands of crores. I am also a human being like you. I have also emotions. This is not right," said Pawar.
Maharashtra is scheduled to go to polls on October 21. The results will be declared on October 24.
Sharad Pawar on Friday had said that Ajit resigned as an MLA, as he was 'disturbed' after the ED named him in a money laundering case pertaining to the MSCB scam. A visibly disturbed Sharad Pawar said at his Pune residence that he was unable to contact his nephew immediately.
“Ajit told his son that it is better to do farming or business than be in politics. I think it’s because of my name appearing in ED’s state co-operative bank case when I had nothing to with it,” said Sharad Pawar.
The NCP chief had also claimed that Ajit was not even a member of the MSCB.
(With ANI inputs)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "File Photo:")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}