Sharad Pawar: Thought that I'll be PM in 2019 was wrong

The NCP chief also denies possibility of his party working with BJP in future; Is all praise for Rahul Gandhi

Reality matters to NCP chief Sharad Pawar, who said on Thursday, that he cannot be Prime Minister with whatever little strength his party has. He told mediapersons that the thought (expressed by his party junior Praful Patel) that he would become the PM in 2019 was wrong.

Sharad Pawar

He also negated a possibility of his party working with BJP in the future, and heaped praise on Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi for emerging as a crowd puller at political rallies.

"It's factually incorrect to say that NCP will work with BJP. In Gujarat, we are working out a possibility of joining hands with Congress because we don't have enough strength there," he said to a gathering at the Mumbai Television Journalists' Association on Thursday evening.

He said there was anti-establishment sentiment in poll-bound Gujarat, "but a huge amount of money is being used there, so I can't tell you what will happen (in Assembly elections)," he said. Pawar's increasing coziness with Congress was visible when he appreciated Gandhi, whom he had criticised in the past.

"The ruling party ridiculed Rahul Gandhi on social media and he (Gandhi) suffered because of that. But that ridicule is showing a reverse effect. Rahul is now being accepted by people who are crowding his political rallies," said Pawar.

Films shouldn't hurt sentiments
Pawar had some advice for filmmakers whose movies create issues before their release. "I don't object to films like Padmavati being made, but I think such films should not hurt the sentiments of certain communities and the people responsible should bear this in mind while making these movies," he said.