MUMBAI: The rift between the Vikhe-Patil family and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) widened further after NCP Supremo Sharad Pawar’s statement about the late Balasaheb Vikhe-Patil.
Senior Congress leader and leader of Opposition Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil announced on Thursday that he will not campaign for NCP’s candidate in Ahmednagar.
Vikhe-Patil appeared in front of the press two days after his son Dr Sujay Vikhe-Patil joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
While commenting on his son’s entry in BJP, he said it was his own decision.
After the episode of Dr Sujay’s entry in BJP, he said Sharad Pawar made a statement against his family and that was not tolerable.
“Even after more than 25 years, Sharad Pawar has anger against our family. Pawar’s statement against my family was unwarranted and uncalled, that hurts our family more,” he said.
Pawar recently alluded to how he ensured the defeat of Balasaheb Vikhe Patil in the 1991 election and that he also remembered the lawsuit the late Congress leader filed against him.
“I will campaign in other parts of the State and my party will decide it and direct me. I will follow the party’s directives. I will abide by the party high command’s decision,” he further added.
Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil said the Ahmednagar Lok Sabha constituency was not the core issue of the seat-sharing talks between his party and the NCP.
“We were trying to win more seat for both parties NCP and Congress and we have talked on the issue. Same seats, that are repeatedly lost by the parties can be exchanged. Sujay’s candidature was not the only issue,” the senior Congress leader added.
His son’s candidature from BJP will not affect Congress’s performance in the district, the Congress leader stated.
