Mumbai: In a U-turn of sorts, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Friday said that there was no resentment against or unhappiness with NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar and that Pawar in fact was “a father figure.” After Dy CM Eknath Shinde was on Tuesday honoured with the Mahadji Shinde Rashtra Gaurav Puraskar at the hands of Pawar, Raut had said that giving such an honour to those who “divided” Maharashtra was “a blow to the identity and self-respect of Maharashtra” and that “felicitating Shinde was akin to honouring Amit Shah.”
Raut said on Friday, “There is no displeasure towards Sharad Pawar. We have expressed our stand only for a specific incident… that a senior neta like Pawar felicitated someone whom Maharashtra addresses as a traitor.” He added, “Those who criticize do not know my relationship with Pawar Saheb. Pawar is like a father figure to us. This stand is of our party.” —Chaitanya Marpakwar
Mumbai: In a U-turn of sorts, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Friday said that there was no resentment against or unhappiness with NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar and that Pawar in fact was “a father figure.” After Dy CM Eknath Shinde was on Tuesday honoured with the Mahadji Shinde Rashtra Gaurav Puraskar at the hands of Pawar, Raut had said that giving such an honour to those who “divided” Maharashtra was “a blow to the identity and self-respect of Maharashtra” and that “felicitating Shinde was akin to honouring Amit Shah.”
Raut said on Friday, “There is no displeasure towards Sharad Pawar. We have expressed our stand only for a specific incident… that a senior neta like Pawar felicitated someone whom Maharashtra addresses as a traitor.” He added, “Those who criticize do not know my relationship with Pawar Saheb. Pawar is like a father figure to us. This stand is of our party.”
