Shinde clarifies on his ‘Sharad Pawar for PM’ remark
NEW DELHI : Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde has clarified his controversial remarks, made yesterday, that he would be happy to see National Congress Party or NCP chief Sharad Pawar as India’s PM. “I was asked how would I feel if Mr Pawar becomes PM. I said he is from Maharashtra and an ally, so it will be good. But our basic issue is that we want to make Rahul Gandhi the PM,” Mr Shinde said.
In his remarks at an event in Maharashtra’s Solapur yesterday, Mr Shinde had also described the Maratha strongman as his “political guru”. Mr Shinde’s remarks came ahead of Congress’ crucial session on January 17 in which party vice-president Rahul Gandhi is expected to be named as its PM candidate.
“I would be happy if Pawar becomes the PM. He is my political guru. I entered politics because of him,” Mr Shinde had said in an interaction with editors of a Marathi newspaper. Mr Pawar has been a “victim of Delhi politics”, he said.
Mr Pawar, who broke away from Congress on the issue of Sonia Gandhi’s foreign origin in 1999 to form the NCP, has made it clear that he would not contest the 2014 Lok Sabha elections and instead intends to take the Rajya Sabha route to Parliament.NDTV.
