Mumbai / PM Modi wanted us to work together, I rejected his offer: Sharad Pawar

NCP chief Sharad Pawar has revealed PM Modi had proposed for tie-up between BJP & NCP to form govt in Maharashtra. However, he said he outrightly declined it.

"Modi had offered me to work together. I told him that our personal relations are very good and they will remain that way but it is not possible for me to work together," Pawar said in an interview to a Marathi TV channel on Monday.

Pawar dismissed reports that Modi government offered to make him India's President. "But there was an offer to make Supriya (Sule) a minister in the Modi-led cabinet," he added.

Sharad Pawar also spoke at length about his nephew and 80 hour rebel Ajit Pawar. "When I came to know about Ajit's support (to Fadnavis), the first person I contacted was Thackeray. I told him what happened was not right and gave him confidence that I will crush this (Ajit's rebellion)," Pawar said.

"When all in NCP came to know my support was not there for Ajit's action, those five-ten (MLAs) who were with him, there was pressure on them," he said.

The NCP chief said he is not aware if anyone in the (Pawar) family spoke (to Ajit Pawar to make him rethink his decision to back Fadnavis). "But all in the family felt what Ajit did was wrong," he said.

"I later told him what he did was unpardonable. That anybody (doing so) will have to bear the consequences and you are no exception," he said.

"At the same time there is a big section (in NCP) which has 'asthaa' (faith) in him... He gets things done," Pawar said.

Devendra Fadnavis-led BJP had won 105 seats while their ally during the elections Shiv Sena had won 56. The alliance easily went past the majority mark but things went sour when the Sena demanded the Chief Minister's post and the state went under President's rule as no party was able to prove majority.

In an overnight coup, Devendra Fadnavis took oath as the Chief Minister with NCP's Ajit Pawar as his deputy. The newly-formed alliance of Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress moved to Supreme Court and demanded an immediate floor test.

Before the floor test could take place, Fadnavis resigned as the party didn't have a majority. Ajit Pawar returned back to the fold and Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray became Maharashtra's Chief Minister.