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Updated: Sep 05, 2019 14:24 IST

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar’s grandnephew Rohit Pawar garnered praise from rivals Shiv Sena, through their mouthpiece Saamana, when the young politician defended Sharad Pawar against Home Minister Amit Shah’s remarks that the NCP had done nothing to address Maharashtra’s agrarian distress. In an editorial released by Saamana, Sena dubbed it as the “rise of the new Pawar in Baramati”.

Home Minister Amit Shah while addressing the public during the second leg of the ‘Mahajanadesh Yatra’, launched on August 1 by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, attacked NCP chief Sharad Pawar questioning his contribution in providing financial aid to farmers in Maharashtra when the latter was a minister in the erstwhile UPA government at the Centre.

Rohit, without naming any BJP leader, shot back, “When needed, they took his (Sharad Pawar’s) advice and even came to Baramati to praise him. But ahead of the elections, they ask about his achievements. The opposition party (BJP) plays its politics like a two-sided drum. But enough is enough now.”

The Shiv Sena lauded Rohit’s remarks and said that an arrow has been fired from the Pawar camp after a long time.

The editorial also said, “According to chief minister Fadnavis, the NCP will cease to exist soon and only Sharad Pawar, Ajit Pawar and Supriya Sule will remain, but a ‘fourth’ Pawar has responded to the BJP’s charges. The questions asked by Pawar’s grandnephew Rohit Pawar cannot be ignored... In the last few days, Rohit Pawar is moving ahead at a slow pace, he is always with Sharad Pawar. Baramati is witnessing the rise of a new Pawar.”

The Sena added that Pawar’s grip on politics is weakening but his contribution in Maharashtra cannot be ignored. “Pawar has contributed to the progress of Maharashtra, which cannot be denied. This contribution was acknowledged by Narendra Modi in Baramati,” it said. Lauding Rohit’s attack, the Sena added, “For the first time an arrow was shot by a Pawar in the autumn. No one was injured by the arrow, but shooting it is important.”

Prime minister Narendra Modi has praised Pawar on public platforms and has also said that the latter had guided him during his early days in politics. He even praised Pawar as a repository of experience and said it was his responsibility to reach out to the NCP chief from time to time for advice on certain issues.