Mumbai, Jul 4 (IANS): Nationalist Congress Party President Sharad Pawar on Tuesday warned the breakaway faction led by his nephew Ajit Pawar against using his photographs for any purpose.

New and second Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar inaugurated his party office near Mantralaya this morning and installed a large portrait of his uncle, whom his NCP faction has also continued as the party President.

Since the past three days, the NCP Ajit Pawar group has been invoking Sharad Pawar’s name for many purposes which has apparently peeved the latter.

Sharad Pawar hit back on Tuesday by asking Ajit Pawar and the other rebels not to use his pictures without his permission for any purpose until he’s alive.

“They have betrayed my ideology and are now having political differences… so they should not use my photos,” said Sharad Pawar firmly.

He said that it's his right to decide who can use his photos when he’s alive, and barring the NCP led by him, “nobody else has the authority to use my photo without my clearance”.

The current scenario is akin to the one encountered by Shiv Sena-UBT President and ex-Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, with the breakaway Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has been using the original party founder, the late Balasaheb Thackeray’s photos for all occasions.

A disgusted Thackeray has said on several occasions that “they are ‘Baap-chors’ (father-thieves), who are hijacking someone else’ dad for their political benefits, and had asked them to refrain from doing so. After the Shiv Sena split in mid-2022, the Shinde-led faction was alloted the original party name and the 'bow and arrow' symbol, while the Thackeray faction was given the new name of Shiv Sena-UBT and a 'flaming torch' as its symbol.