Pawar, 81, who has been receiving treatment in a hospital in Mumbai for the past few days, travelled by plane to Shirdi with medical personnel and made a brief speech to the party convention.
"A prime minister has to have a vision for the inclusive development of all and be broad-minded but unfortunately it doesn't appear to be so. The PM should focus more on (reviving) the weakening economy and bringing down inflation," Pawar said.
Dilip Walse Patil, a senior party leader, read out Pawar's speech because the former union minister, who arrived from Mumbai with only a few words to say, said he wouldn't be able to speak for very long. In his speech, Pawar claimed that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had been rebuffed nationwide, with the exception of a small number of states, and that in other states the saffron party had succeeded in forming governments by "misusing" the government's investigative agencies.
Pawar pleaded with NCP members to adhere to progressive ideology and resist all "inducements." Pawar, who has been receiving treatment for an infection and a fever at Mumbai's Breach Candy Hospital for the past few days, arrived at the Mahalaxmi Race Course with a medical team and took a helicopter to Shirdi in the Ahmednagar district earlier in the day.
The seasoned politician spoke at the NCP meeting and expressed confidence that the party members would bring about a "political change" in the state. Pawar, who appeared exhausted, spoke for a short while at the convention. As he has been told to rest for 10 to 15 days, Pawar said he won't be able to speak for very long. He then requested that Dilip Walse Patil, the party's leader, read his speech.
Pawar claimed that the majority of the nation has rejected the Bharatiya Janata Party, with the exception of some Northeastern states and states like Gujarat, Assam, Uttar Pradesh, and Haryana (BJP). He claimed that the BJP used the corrupt practises of the Central Investigative Agencies to overthrow the governments in the states of Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh.
Pawar said, "the state (Maharashtra) and Central governments lack the vision of going beyond caste, religion and political affiliations to achieve the empowerment of women, workers, labour class, tribals, and backward classes". Pawar said projects like Vedanta Foxconn and Tata Airbus have been diverted to Gujarat right under the eye of the state government. "This is shameful," he added.
The former Union minister claimed that the Center should have concentrated on making defence projects more efficient rather than moving the Tata-Airbus project to Gujarat. It's not good for Maharashtra that he claimed the current state government was "narrow-minded." According to Pawar, the NCP can alter the politics of communalism and raise people's awareness of progressive ideas. The Shiv Sena, led by Uddhav Thackeray, and the Congress are also members of the Maha Vikas Aghadi, which also includes the NCP.
"We have to create new and strong leadership. The NCP should remain united and work as a strong political outfit, stay committed to progressive ideology, and not fall prey to inducements and allurement. We have to fight to save the Constitution and democracy and defeat communal forces," he said.
Pawar expressed confidence that the party workers would work towards strengthening the NCP and bringing political change to the state. "I am sure the situation will change,' the former Maharashtra chief minister said. "Party cadres wished that I come for the meeting where discussions on the ideology, programmes and policies of the NCP are being discussed," he said.
Later in the afternoon, Pawar and a group of medical professionals flew back to the Mumbai hospital. Pawar had participated in the two-day NCP meeting on Friday from the Mumbai hospital via video link. Ajit Pawar, the opposition's leader in the state Assembly, was absent from the meeting on Saturday. The previous day, he had spoken to the group.
(With inputs from PTI)
