Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) chief Sharad Pawar on Wednesday said the discussion on the possible merger of the two NCP factions was between Ajit Pawar and Jayant Patil and not with Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
Pawar also expressed happiness over Sunetra Pawar taking oath as Deputy Chief Minister.
Addressing a press conference in Baramati, Pawar said, “I am happy that Sunetra Pawar has taken oath as Deputy Chief Minister. There were discussions between Ajit Pawar and Jayant Patil regarding the merger. Chief Minister Fadnavis was not involved in these talks. What right did he have to speak about it?”
He further said, “Right now, our entire focus is on taking care of everyone and moving forward together with the bereaved. There is no discussion on any political decision as of now.”
Ajit Pawar, 66, died in the plane crash on the morning of January 28 when he was attempting to land at Baramati airport in Pune district.
NCP leader Sunetra Pawar, a National Congress Party leader and widow of late Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, took over the responsibility of filling the vacancy left by Ajit Pawar’s demise.
Furthermore, Pawar said that due to a family incident he could not attend Parliament on Budget Day for the first time in 58 years and expressed concern that the Union Budget could create difficulties for the common people.
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Union Budget 2026-27 in the Lok Sabha on Sunday (February 1), which is her ninth consecutive budget.
Pawar said, “Be it the Maharashtra Assembly or the Lok Sabha of the country, I have been a member for the last 58 years. In all these 58 years, I have never been absent from Parliament on the Budget day. Unfortunately, due to an incident that happened in my family, I could not be present in Parliament on the Budget day this time.”
“However, from whatever I have read, I see two-three problems. A new type of tax has been implemented, which is likely to cause problems to the common people. This budget was expected to take concrete steps to accelerate development work,” he said.
Pawar, while talking about the India-US trade agreement, said that it could harm Indian farmers and added that more information is needed about the agreement before reaching any conclusion.
Tariffs on Indian goods in the US have been reduced to 18 percent under the India-US trade agreement, while Washington claims the agreement will help it export more agricultural products to New Delhi.
He said, “The second issue is related to the information that I have received that the United States has reduced the taxes imposed on India. I have some concerns in this regard. A clear picture of the new agreement between the United States and India should be before the country in the next two-three days, and only then a detailed discussion can take place. But from the information made public by the United States so far, it appears that arrangements have been made to allow exports in the agricultural sector, which is a matter of concern for India.”
Pawar said, “The United States of America is a powerful country whose economic strength is far greater. If it exports any important agricultural product to other countries, it will definitely have an impact on that country and the farmers there. It is expected that such a situation should not arise in India’s agricultural sector.”
