"Bhujbal will expose the entire Telgi scam, " said Sharad Pawar on The RKB Show on Sahara Samay Mumbai.

An interview, which is supposed to air on Thursday 25 March 2004 at 7:30 pm, has the Nationalist Congress Party president Sharad Pawar defending former Deputy Chief Minister Chaggan Bhujbal in a freewheeling interview. An hour-long interview Pawar offered, “The Telgi scam started during the BJP-Shiv Sena government in connivance with the Union Finance ministry who handed over the entire materials of the Nashik press, instead of destroying it, to Telgi. The responsibility is not only of the BJP-Sena government here, but even of the finance ministry in Delhi”

Talking to The RKB Show on Sahara Samay Mumbai, Pawar also offered that despite people thinking otherwise Bhujbal actually resigned over the attack on the offices of Zee TV.

Pawar added that the manner in which the Special Investigation Team got influenced by the media has proved to be detrimental to the morale and standing of the Maharashtra Police.

While on Sonia Gandhi’s orgins issue Pawar was very clear, "We have not given up that issue. It is like the BJP has said that since they are in a coalition they have kept the Ram Janmabhoomi issue on the backburner…so is the case with foreign origin issue. At the moment Sonia Gandhi herself has said that she is not projecting herself as the prime ministerial candidate, so why should we raise the issue at this time…?"

During the interview he also cleared that Thackery’s allegation that he (Pawar) was about to join hands with the BJP was completely untrue, adds the release.