Ajit Pawar said allying with BJP was a mistake: Sharad Pawar

New Delhi : Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on Monday said that Ajit Pawar has confessed to him that allying with the Bharatiya Janata Party was the biggest mistake. The 78-year-old leader also indicated that he may forgive Ajit for the misadventure that barely lasted 80 hours.

In an interview to ABP Majha, Sharad Pawar revealed that PM Narendra Modi had made an offer to work together which he had rejected.

Speaking about the Ajit Pawar's decision to join hands with BJP, Sharad Pawar said that he was irked with the long delay in the negotiation process with the NCP and the Congress.

“Irked with that disagreement and the ongoing discussion with Congress, Ajit took this call that night. He was told oath has to be taken immediately, if this deal had to be done. Later, Ajit told me he made a mistake,’’ said Pawar.

“He is always available for them [party workers and leaders] when I am busy in Delhi. This is whether we are in power or not,” he added.

He also admitted that he knew Ajit was talking to Fadnavis, but he was not aware of his plans to back the BJP. “I knew that Fadnavis had given the offer of an alliance to Ajit. I had told Ajit to see what BJP was talking about. Later, I got busy and then my talks with Sena got serious. I also got a clear signal from Sena MP Sanjay Raut that they were willing to join us,’’ Pawar said. He said he realised that if the Sena was willing to leave the BJP, then there could be a new direction to politics in Maharashtra.