Pawar’s cancer would have won

 A steely resolve to fight cancer ultimately saw NCP
supremo Sharad Pawar emerging triumphant in his battle against the
deadly disease which had also caused a turbulence in his political
career.
" i got cured of cancer because of a strong will to fight the disease.
If I had given up the fight and stopped work,  cancer would have won",
Pawar said in an informal chat with reporters at the two-day NCP state
level convention which was inaugurated on Saturday.
Pawar who was first diagnosed with mouth cancer a decade ago,
recounted his battle against the disease saying it was important to
defy it by remaining mentally strong.
" Investigations started when a doctor friend of mine noticed a
swelling on my cheek and suggested a biopsy. The treatment started. It
was painful as the skin inside my mouth was burnt making it difficult
to take food", he said.
After he underwent a surgery, he was sworn in as Union minister within
a month, he said, and added with a smile that the members of the house
cooperated with him by not addressing  too many questions to him.
Asked whether he considered that period as critical in his life, Pawar
said apart from his will power, he had a  strong family  support in
his wife and daughter.
"What I was more worried about during this period was the emotional
vulnerability of my party workers who are  attached to me".
The Union agriculture minister said he drew his mental power from his
mother whom he described as a  "very strong woman" who fought against
all odds.