Sharad Pawar amused by ‘death’ rumours

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar, who is in a city-based hospital for a medical routine, was amused about rumours of his ‘death’ doing the rounds on social media networks on Tuesday.

So persistent were the gossip and grapevine that the NCP released a brief video clip of the party supremo seated on a bed in Ruby Hospital, sporting a blue patient gown and chatting with his daughter Supriya Sule, family members, party workers and media persons.

Appearing healthy, Pawar, 76, was seen laughing and enjoying the ‘death’ rumours about him over the past two days, with some even speculating that it was being kept a ‘secret’ on account of Republic Day celebrations and the sad news would be revealed on Wednesday.

Pawar countered this by relating some famous incidents from the past when prominent personalities were reported ‘dead’ but not only were they alive, but lived for many more years – including the ‘death’ announcement of Loknayak Jayprakash Narain made prematurely by then Prime Minister Morarji Desai in Parliament.