For the first time after the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections,NCP president and Union Minister Sharad Pawar shared the dais with suspended NCP leader and Osmanabad MP Padamsinh Patil in his hometown on Saturday. The CBI had arrested Patil for his alleged role in the murder of Congress leader Pavanraje Nimbalkar. Both Pawar and party state president Madhukar Pichad extended full support to Patil,but chose to keep mum on his suspension from the party. The Union Minister was on his first trip to Osmanabad after the 2009 polls,where he participated in various events. He shared the dais with Patil at a party function,where the two leaders sat next to each other. In his speech,Pawar lauded Patils work in his constituency. There are ups and downs in politics. Despite crises,a leader selects his own way to serve people. Padamsinh is a leader with a kind heart. The crowd I witnessed here is a receipt of love and respect for him, he said. Pichad and other NCP leaders,Babanrao Dhobale and Babanrao Pachpute,also praised Patil for his work. Patil,in his speech,accused the Opposition of making false allegations against him. The CBI had arrested Patil on June 6 last year. He is also being tried on a complaint filed by social activist Anna Hazare,alleging a conspiracy to murder him.
