‘Never imagined Ajit Pawar and we would ever come together: Uddhav Thackeray

Former Maharashtra Chief Minister and Shiv Sena UBT chief Uddhav Thackeray on Monday said he had never imagined that he and the late former Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar would join hands given that their parties were political rivalsSpeaking during the condolence motion in the Maharashtra Legislative Council Thackeray praised Pawarrsquos administrative acumen and described him as a pillar of support during the Maha Vikas Aghadi MVA governmentldquoI never imagined that Ajit Pawar and we would ever come together as our parties were politically opposed We witnessed two significant mornings mdash one that shocked everyone with Ajit Pawarrsquos decision and another that left Maharashtra grievingrdquo he saidldquoWe came together unexpectedly Initially I had reservations I had no administrative experience when I became Chief Minister I was surprised when it was decided that Ajit Pawar would be the Deputy Chief Minister However once we began working together I realised I had gained an excellent and generous colleague and friend in Ajit Dada He became my pillar of support in governance and administration Whenever I did not understand something I would consult him He had the habit of studying every subject in depthrdquo Thackeray addedHighlighting Pawarrsquos political journey Thackeray said ldquoAjit Dada served as Deputy Chief Minister six times What stands out is that he stepped out from the shadow of a massive tree to carve his own identity While some remain in the shadow all their lives Ajit Dada created his own pathrdquoRecalling his visits to Baramati Thackeray said that despite his own health concerns at the time Pawar personally accompanied him and showcased the regionrsquos transformationMaharashtra Budget Session 2026 Baramati has become orphaned after Ajit Dadas deathldquoI visited Baramati two or three times I was dealing with health issues then but Ajit Dada ensured he was with me He showed me the transformation of Baramati mdash the roads institutions schools and overall development It was astonishing After his passing I felt Baramati had become orphaned A place once filled with energy suddenly felt desolaterdquo he saidReferring to the Covid19 lockdown period Thackeray said that when the state Secretariat Mantralaya was shut and economic activity appeared uncertain Pawar ensured continuityldquoDuring the lockdown when Mantralaya was closed and it seemed the economic cycle might stall Ajit Dada kept Maharashtrarsquos economy moving and ensured no scheme was shut He demonstrated the skill required to run an administrationrdquo he saidThackeray also spoke about the allegations levelled against Pawar in recent yearsldquoRecently Ajit Pawar had remarked that he was in power with those who had once accused him of a Rs 70000 crore scam Why am I mentioning this Because we must reflect on how much we defame a person while they are alive How many allegations should be made Should we try to destroy someonersquos life There must be a limit He faced numerous allegations but confronted them all he never broke downrdquo he saidDescribing Pawarrsquos working style Thackeray said officials were often wary of his commanding presenceldquoHe had a powerful voice and spoke fearlessly At times his straightforwardness landed him in trouble but there was never any malice in his heartrdquo he addedThackeray further noted Pawarrsquos discipline and punctuality linking it symbolically to his partyrsquos lsquoClockrsquo emblemldquoAjit Dada handled the Finance Department Despite my inexperience he supported me He had an unbreakable bond with time mdash perhaps that is why the lsquoClockrsquo was his symbol If he was scheduled to arrive at a certain time he would be there without fail Even his desk was always neat and perfectly arranged When a leader is disciplined the entire administration functions with disciplinerdquo he saidConcluding his tribute Thackeray said Maharashtra had suffered a profound lossldquoMaharashtra has lost a charismatic leader The mountain of grief caused by Ajit Pawarrsquos passing has fallen not only on the Pawar family but on the entire staterdquo he saidWith IANS inputs