Why so much hue and cry over Sharad Pawar's comments on kin?: Shiv Sena

MUMBAI: The Shiv Sena on Friday sought to downplay the controversy created by NCP president Sharad Pawar's public reprimand of his grand-nephew Parth Pawar for seeking a CBI probe into actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death.

The political storm generated over the public rebuke by Sharad Pawar of his grand-nephew Parth Pawar was "not even a storm in the tea cup", the ruling saffron party in Maharashtra and an ally of the NCP said.

The NCP chief had said on Wednesday that he attached "absolutely no importance" to Parth Pawar's demand for a CBI probe into the actor's death. The Pawar senior also called Parth Pawar, who is the son of his nephew and deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, "immature".

An editorial in the Shiv Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana' hit out at news channels for "blowing the issue out of proportion".

There was nothing wrong in what Shard Pawar did, the Sena publication said.

"These people (news channels) create artificial storm for their livelihood. Pawar's comments on Parth are being construed as sign that not all is well in the Pawar family.

"Sharad Pawar is a senior leader and head of a political party. He can admonish the young. Even late (Shiv Sena founder) Bal Thackeray has done that," the editorial said.

"When your tongue is not in your control, you face a lot of problems. Ajit Pawar has gone through such problems.

"So now he controls himself. His son Parth is new in politics and that is why his statements create controversy. Even some senior and experienced politicians have demanded a CBI probe," the editorial said in a veiled reference to BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis.

"Pawar's comments against his grand-nephew were just to put a break on his actions. Why so much hue and cry over it?" the Marathi daily asked.

Parth Pawar welcomed the start of the construction of the new Ram temple in Ayodhya and wrote a long public letter about it, the editorial said.

"There is nothing wrong in speaking in favour of Ram mandir which is being constructed with the Supreme Court approval.

"(Congress leaders) Priyanka Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, too, have expressed their views. (Chief Minister and Sena president) Uddhav Thackeray visited Ayodhya.

"But nobody wrote long letters to express their views like Parth," the editorial said.

The paper advised Parth Pawar to take the senior Pawar's rebuke as a blessing and learn right lessons from "the political gymnasium" that exists in his home.