I am with Congress, think SP, BSP should bury differences: Sharad Pawar

Mumbai: Nationalist Congress Party supremo and veteran politician Sharad Pawar will go with the Congress in the 2019 general elections and looks forward to cobbling up a viable and strong opposition to the ruling government.

Speaking to the Mumbai Mirror, the politician said there was no bitterness between the NCP and the Congress now. “The present leadership of the Congress is accommodative both at the state level as well as at the Centre. They want to work with likeminded parties,” he told the tabloid.

Reminded he has often carped about Congress president Rahul Gandhi’s abilities, Pawar told the paper: “I spoke only once on this issue, and this is what I said: Rahul Gandhi should have joined Manmohan Singh’s Cabinet and earned some experience in running the government since it helps increase confidence. This was not a criticism but a suggestion, but the Congress leadership of the day thought otherwise.”

Pawar hinted that the Opposition’s superiority in the Rajya Sabha must translate into a united front in 2019. “Of course, we feel that parties like the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party should bury their differences and get together…”

Pawar said the Shiv Sena should go it alone in 2019 as it has announced. “… fact is it (Shiv Sena) has a dedicated cadre and yet in this alliance with the BJP, the treatment meted out to Sena is insulting, leading to restlessness in the cadre.”