Sharad Pawar's statement on father insensitive, says Manohar Parrikar's son

Former Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar's son Utpal on April 15 described as insensitive NCP chief Sharad Pawar's remark that the late leader relinquished his post at the Centre and returned to Goa because he did not agree with the Rafale fighter jet deal.

In a statement issued, Utpal said the Parrikar family was saddened to read Pawar's remarks.

"This is yet another unfortunate and insensitive attempt to invoke my father's name to push blatant falsehood for political gains," he said.

Addressing reporters in Kolhapur on April 13, Pawar had said, "The Rafale deal was not acceptable to Parrikar. He therefore quit as Defence minister and returned to Goa."

Parrikar, who took over as defence minister in November 2014, was sworn in as Goa chief minister on March 14, 2017. He died on March 17 this year after a long battle with a pancreatic cancer.