Days after Union Home Minister Amit Shah labeled Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar the “ringleader of corruption in politics,” Chief Sharad Pawar fired back, highlighting Shah’s past legal issues. Chief Sharad Pawar expressed astonishment that a person who had been externed from Gujarat by the Supreme Court now held such a significant ministerial position.
“A few days ago, Home Minister Amit Shah attacked me and said a few things. He said that Sharad Pawar is the commander of all the corrupt people in the country. Strangely, the man who is the Home Minister of the country today is such a person who misused the law of Gujarat and for this, the Supreme Court banished him from Gujarat,” chief Sharad Pawar stated. He further questioned the direction in which the country was heading, implying that Shah’s leadership could lead the nation astray.
Amit Shah had been externed from Gujarat for two years in 2010 in connection with the Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case. However, he was acquitted of all charges in 2014.
On July 21, Amit Shah had launched a scathing attack on chief Sharad Pawar, calling him the “Sargana” (ringleader) of corruption in Indian politics. Shah asserted that chief Sharad Pawar had institutionalized corruption and accused him of being the mastermind behind corrupt practices. Shah made these remarks while addressing the BJP conclave in Pune, Maharashtra.
Shah also criticized the Opposition alliance, Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), and Sharad Pawar over an alleged milk powder import circular circulating in the state. Additionally, he accused chief Sharad Pawar of “disabling” the Maratha reservation whenever his party came to power in the state. Shah promised to continue the Maratha reservation if the BJP were voted to power.
The exchange between Shah and chief Sharad Pawar highlights the ongoing political tensions and accusations of corruption that continue to shape the discourse in Indian politics.
