'I really feel very bad', Ajit Pawar reacts to Uncle Sharad Pawar's mimicry

Mumbai, Oct 30 (IANS) A day after NCP(SP) president Sharad Pawar mocked and mimicked his nephew, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Wednesday hit back saying that it was not right on the part of his uncle to do so as he (Ajit Pawar) had got emotional while remembering his mother.

"I always considered Sharad Pawar as God but he mimicked my speech by wiping his eyes with a handkerchief. Sharad Pawar is a veteran, seasoned and experienced leader. Many people did not like it after he mimicked me. It would have been alright if it had been done by Yogendra Pawar (who is the NCP(SP) nominee against Uncle Ajit Pawar in Baramati) or others. I got a bit emotional after taking my mother’s name. I broke into tears and it was a natural one. Sometimes it happens. I did not take out my handkerchief but he did that," said Ajit Pawar.

"For so long I thought that only Raj Thackeray mimics but yesterday ‘Saheb’ (Sharad Pawar) mimicked me," the Dy CM said. He reiterated that his estranged uncle should not have done it saying "I really feel very bad".

Insiders from the NCP and NCP(SP) said that as the campaign gathers momentum the war of words between the uncle and nephew will be witnessed quite often. NCP(SP) chief Sharad Pawar’s move to field his grand nephew Yogendra Pawar has hurt Ajit Pawar the most.

Although NCP functionaries, close to Ajit Pawar, claimed that the party chief will certainly win the Assembly election from Baramati, they also admit that the party will have to take into account that Supriya Sule had got a lead of 47,381 votes from Baramati Assembly seat during the Lok Sabha elections. They further said that Ajit Pawar and the party’s rank and file will have to strive to meet that gap so that he gets a comfortable lead.

"Even though Ajit Pawar has worked hard to implement a slew of development projects in Baramati, it is not enough as he will once again have to convince voters, especially youth about his move to align with BJP and Shiv Sena by deserting Sharad Pawar," a senior party leader said.

Meanwhile, Aiit Pawar said he would extensively travel across the state to address rallies for party nominees instead of focusing merely on his Baramati seat. He further added that he would be in Baramati from November 1 to 3 (being Diwali) and then will visit other parts of Maharashtra.