In 2017, the Indian government conferred upon him the second-highest civilian honor in India. Earlier he has been inducted several times by the Union Government of India and the Government of Maharashtra. He is the former Chief Minister of Maharashtra, former Defense Minister of India, and currently India’s Minister of Agriculture, Consumer Protection, and Minister of Food and Public Distribution. Who is the illustrious man we’re talking about? His name is Sharad Pawar and here are some amazing events about his life and career.
Sharad Pawar: Incredible Facts About The Former CM of Maharashtra!
Sharad Pawar’s real full name:
Sharadchandra Govindrao Pawar came into this world on December 12, 1940 in Baramati, Pune District, Maharashtra). Pawar was one of eleven children born to Govindarao Pawar and Sharadabhai Pawar. Govinda’s ancestors migrated to Baramati from nearby Chattara. Govinda Rao worked for a long time in the Baramati Farmers’ Co-operative Society, Sahakari Kharedi Vikri Sangam. He managed Shahu Boarding, a student hostel in the 1940s. He also studied at Brigaon Maharashtra College of Commerce (PMCC), Pune.
He was a schoolboy who organized a march for the independence of Goa:
Despite being an average student, he was active in student politics. Most of the siblings were well-educated and successful in their respective professions. As a schoolboy, he organized a protest march for the independence of Goa in Pravaranagar in 1956.
He was active in student politics in college. Although his lawyer brother belonged to the Farmers and Labor Party, Pawar preferred the Congress Party and joined the Youth Congress in 1958. Later in 1962, he became the President of the Poona District (now Pune District) Youth Congress. The post of being one of the two secretaries of the Maharashtra Youth Congress In 1964, was held by Sharad Pawar.
Sharad Pawar is one of the most influential political families in Maharashtra:
Hailing from Baramati, Maharashtra, he is a prominent figure in Maharashtra politics. His daughter Supriya Sule, son-in-law Ajit Pawar, and son-in-law Rohit Rajendra Pawar are involved in politics.
The Indian politician shot to fame in 1990:
Pawar was a leading Congress Party politician in the 1990s. In 1999, due to opposition to the new party leader Sonia Gandhi, he and other like-minded Congress Party politicians formed a new party, the Nationalist Congress Party, centered in Maharashtra. He leads the Nationalist Party in the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Indian Parliament. He is the President of Maha Vikas Agathi.
A high-responsibility post between 2009-2014:
In the second coalition cabinet of Manmohan Singh, he was Minister of Agriculture from 2009 to 2014 and was also temporarily responsible for the portfolios of the food industry and consumer affairs, nutrition, and distribution of public goods. He was the perfect person for this because Pawar was instrumental in setting up cooperative sugar mills in the Baramati region in the 1950s. Three times between 1937 and 1952, Pawar was elected to the District Local Board!
He retained his portfolio when the UPA coalition government was re-elected in 2009. He faced many crises and controversies during his tenure as Agriculture Minister. Critics also point out that during his tenure as Agriculture Minister, he spent more time juggling his role as BCCI president than his ministerial duties.
Cricket associations:
From 2005 to 2008, Pawar served as the President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India and from 2010 to 2012 he served as the President of the International Cricket Council. For many years, He was the president of the Mumbai Cricket Association as well.
Role as a minister:
After the 2004 Lok Sabha elections, Pawar became the Agriculture Minister in the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government led by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Where is Sharad Pawar now in 2023?
Bringing together the opposition parties:
Sarath Pawar recently met Congress president Mallikarjuna Kharge and Rahul Gandhi about bringing together the opposition parties.
Nationalist Congress President Sarath Pawar met Congress leaders Mallikarjuna Kharge and Rahul Gandhi at Mallikarjuna Kharge’s residence which Mallikarjuna Kharge said was very gratifying, in addition to saying “Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav have already met me and Rahul Gandhi. We will keep the opposition united”.
It was noted that Mamata Banerjee, Telangana Chief Minister Chandrasekhar Rao, and former Union Minister Sarath Pawar took unity measures to unite the opposition parties to face the BJP in next year’s Lok Sabha elections. But except for Sharad Pawar, everyone is Congress and BJP. They tried to create a non-existent opposition coalition. As a result, this effort continues to suffer setbacks. Now the Congress alliance parties have started the talks on this.
Sharad Pawar said that the process of uniting the opposition parties has started. This is just the beginning. All opposition parties are committed to this”.
Sarath Pawar questions those who question PM Modi’s graduation:
NCP President Sharad Pawar participated in a program held this month in April 2023 in Nashik, Maharashtra to question Prime Minister Modi’s educational qualification.
In 2016, Aam Aadmi Party convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal filed a petition under the Right to Information Act. According to this, the Central Information Commissioner M. Sreedhar Acharyalu had ordered the Prime Minister’s Office, Gujarat University, and Delhi University to provide information about Prime Minister Modi’s educational qualifications.
However, the Gujarat University appealed against the Information Commissioner’s order in the Gujarat High Court. The High Court heard the case and dismissed the order issued by the Information Commission and Kejriwal’s petition. It also imposed a fine of Rs.25 thousand on Kejriwal. In this case, Sarath Pawar asked: Where did Prime Minister Modi study, and what degree he holds?
The biggest question before the country is what is the Prime Minister’s educational qualification? Is it a political issue? Inflation, unemployment, and law and order are actually the biggest problems. It is in these matters that the central government should be questioned. People are being divided into religious lines. Unseasonal rains have damaged crops in Maharashtra. These are the issues we need to discuss. This is what Sarath Pawar said.
An issue which has instigated an uproar among opposition leaders, Sharad Pawar has commented most noteworthily against the demand of the opposition parties regarding the educational qualification of Prime Minister Modi for the second time!
Recently, he stopped 40 candidates in the Karnataka elections:
The Nationalist Congress Party has decided to contest 40 constituencies alone in the Karnataka assembly elections because the competition for the upcoming assembly elections in Karnataka on May 10 is as fierce as ever among the candidates.
Those who do not get seats in BJP are jumping to not only the secular Janata Dal but also to Congress.
Most interestingly The Nationalist Congress Party which was recently stripped of its national status by the Election Commission has also jumped into this election battle. Thus, Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party decided to get national status again. For this, he has decided to field his party in the Karnataka assembly elections.
Sharad Pawar has decided to field a large number of candidates in the constituency on the Karnataka-Maharashtra border. Apart from this, Sharad Pawar has also decided to attend and address six election campaign public meetings. The Election Commission has given permission for Sharad Pawar’s party to contest the clock symbol in this election. This decision of Sharad Pawar has come as a shock to the Congress party.
NCP founder Sarath Pawar comments on Gautam Adhani’s attack:
“Adani Group seems to be targeted. Those behind this matter should be investigated because the economy of the country is affected by this issue. It is because of the corporate companies that the country is traveling in development. Their backgrounds should be explored because of the fact that Ambani plays a major role in the development of the power sector in addition to the development of India’s petrochemical sector. Is all this development unnecessary? If they make a mistake, criticize them but remember that Adhani’s work is for the development of India. It appears that private companies are being targeted for criticizing the government”, were the words of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) President Sarath Pawar.
A Parliamentary Joint Committee inquiry into the Hindenburg Report was of no avail as the inquiry was against the ruling government. In an environment where the Congress Party is in alliance with the Nationalist Congress Party, Sharad Pawar’s comment against the Congress has created a stir in political circles because he stated that the Parliamentary Joint Committee hearing will take place under the supervision of the ruling government where the truth will not come out in this matter. Thus, to seek a parliamentary joint committee inquiry into the matter is pointless!
