‘I Fought Like A Fakir, Can’t Talk About…’: Supriya Sule On Ajit Pawar, Baramati Contest During Lok Sabha Polls

Baramati MP Supriya Sule on Friday said she fought the Lok Sabha elections “like a fakir” because “everything was against her”. She thanked the people of Maharashtra for standing by the Sharad Pawar-led NCP, which won eight out of 10 seats as part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi, during an “extraordinarily challenging time” after the split engineered by senior leader Ajit Pawar.

“Our symbol was taken, our name was taken… Everything was against me, I fought the election against all odds. Fakir ki tarah ladi main (I fought like a fakir),” she said, as she took part in the CNN-News18 Town Hall in Mumbai.

She added: “Politics and personal relations should never mix. We’ve tried to uphold this, but the landscape of Indian politics has changed; things are not what they used to be.”

Sule, however, refused to comment on the return of Ajit Pawar to the NCP (SP), and said he should be asked the meaning of his remarks of making the mistake of fielding a family member against her.

“I can’t comment on that, you’ll have to ask him. I can tell you what I can do. I only think for myself. I don’t answer hypothetical questions. I’m not in a position to make casual remarks,” she said, adding that those who have returned to their fold have done so because they have faith in “leadership of Sharad Pawar”.

About the chief ministerial face of the MVA, opposition alliance, she said the decision will be taken in future. While former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray has said it will be better to name a candidate going into the polls, Sharad Pawar has been clear that this matter will be taken up after the election results.

“We’re a very mature alliance. We will take this decision in future. Every alliance must have a say in a democracy. So, I welcome what he (Uddhav Thackeray) said,” she added.

The Baramati MP further said there was no guarantee that Eknath Shinde will continue as chief minister if the Mahayuti returns to power. “I have seen all posters — Devendra Fadnavis as CM, Shinde for CM, Pawar for CM. The BJP has very generously changed many CMs after winning elections, so you never know,” she said.

On the upcoming assembly elections, she said the people of Maharashtra will decide and requested all the parties to “have some humility”. “…I’ll go to the people and show them what we’ve done. Every time you write an exam, you write it to pass. I’m not ‘abki baar 400 paar’, that’s not my personality; I’ve always conservative not overconfident,” she added.

‘He deserved what he got’: Sule on the death of Badlapur accused

Sule further spoke about the death of the Badlapur sex assault accused in police custody. The opposition has strongly reacted to the incident and demanded a judicial probe.

“He deserved what he got. But, this country is not according to whims and fancies; it runs only within the four walls of the Constitution. Everything should have happened in a timebound manner, so that the result could have been a public hanging to send out the message that if you misbehave, you will be hanged,” she said.

Asked about why the INDIA bloc had not spoken out much against the RG Kar rape and murder case, she said politically, no party will defend a rapist and it was the same in the Kolkata incident.

“We weren’t allowed to do a bandh here (for Badlapur). But, in Calcutta, it was allowed. Mamata Banerjee is an empathetic and sensitive leader. Politically, I don’t think any party can defend a rapist,” she added.

‘Governance continuous process, juvenile to take credit’

Sule also said it is juvenile for to take the credit for development as governance is a continuous process. She said Maharashtra needs to get its act together and become the competitive state that it once was.

“Well, its every government in continuation. If we talk about the coastal road project, credit does go to Uddhav and Aaditya but, yes, their partnership was with the BJP. But, someone else inaugurated it. It’s juvenile, taking credit like this,” she said, when asked to comment on the BJP’s success in executing numerous infrastructure projects in Mumbai.

It’s wrong if you say nothing happened for 70 years, it’s juvenile. All governments do some good work, it’s juvenile to say otherwise,” she added.

‘Can’t change soul of nation’

Asked if the opposition capitalised on “rumours” of “Constitution being changed” during the general elections, Sule said there were videos of two BJP MPs saying “abki baar, 400 paar, badlenge samvidhan”. She questioned why the BJP did not action if the videos being circulated were fake.

“If the BJP wants to live in a bubble, they can, but the truth is far from the reality they reside in. Constitutional amendments are different, there are processes to making changes. I have said this over and over that every policy has to be relooked at every five years as sometimes there are gaps. Like the GST (Goods and Services Tax) that was brought by the Congress but implemented by the BJP. The basic bill of the GST is not bad, but there are holes in its implementation. These all have to evolve over time,” she said.

She added: “But, the statement on changing the Constitution… You can’t change the soul of the nation, what do they mean by ‘Akhand Bharat’. I have a lot of regard for Jaishankar ji; unfortunately, India is not in a honeymoon position; 10 years later, we’re in a very different place.”