A headline in the daily news “Dawood’s brother knows Sharad Pawar” actually changed the reality into a negative perception for Sharad Pawar when he was the Chief Minister. The story was a little bit different. At that time, when Sharad Pawar was the CM of Maharashtra, a Mumbai based journalist took an interview with underworld don Dawood’s brother in Dubai. In a question, the reporter asked Dawood’s brother that “Do you know Mr. Sharad Pawar?” To which he replied that everyone knew him as he was the chief minister. And this has become headline of the newspaper that ‘Dawood’s brother knows Sharad Pawar’, it was enough to launch a vilification campaign against him. But this is Sharad Pawar’s good habit that he never questioned any allegation against him. And that had become the red light for him.
Now NCP chief Sharad Pawar disclosed, in a recent interview with MNS president Raj Thackeray, that how he has dragged into the controversy over his non-existing associations with underworld don Mr. Dawood almost 20 years ago. Sharad Pawar said that a BJP MP from Mumbai city demanded a probe into a statement by Dawood’s brother that he knows Sharad Pawar. As the charges were serious, Mr. Pawar backed a probe.
He said that he started began gathering information on Dawood’s brother, who was then settled in UAE (Dubai). Sharad Pawar traced the source of information and found the actual facts and reality. The Mumbai-based journalist met Dawood’s brother there. Dawood’s brother informed that he knows Dilip Kumar and some famous film stars in Mumbai. He also told that the scribe that the Ibrahim family was keen on returning to Maharashtra, but if they landed in Mumbai, they will be arrested and hence abandoned the idea. And in the conversation, he also said that he knew Maharashtra CM Sharad Pawar.
After launching the headline in the newspaper, a BJP MP raised the issue in Parliament and asked for an independent probe. On the other hand, Mr. Pawar claimed that when he was the CM of Maharashtra, the entire underworld empire was destroyed completely and he had no links with the Dubai based don Dawood. Pawar also said that it was unfortunate that he was dragged dramatically in a controversy only on the basis of a statement made by Dawood’s brother.
In the interview with Mr. Raj Thakeray on 23rd February, NCP chief Sharad Pawar also commented on some current issues against BJP in the center. Mr. Pawar said only the Congress can challenge the country’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and predicted that the national party, which had lost power in many states, will actually see its share of “acche din”.
Mr. Sharad Pawar also told MNS president Mr. Raj Thackeray in the first-of-its-kind conversation at the jam-packed grounds of his alma mater BM College of Commerce in Pune city, that the National Congress didn’t have the strong organizational presence it once had, but the party is changing as per the situation.
