NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Wednesday said the power of the country lies with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies, who are dividing people instead of maintaining unity in the society. He also hit out at the saffron party for toppling the MVA government last year and the engineering bifurcation in his party leading to Ajit Pawar joining the Eknath Shinde and BJP-led government in the state.

“There are many examples of how they (BJP) toppled state governments- like in Goa, Madhya Pradesh and also Maharashtra.”

Pawar also responded to his meeting with his nephew and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar last weekend in Pune, promoting a wave of critical reactions from his allies.

“It was a family meeting with Ajit Pawar. I did not go to the media talking about the meeting.”

The duo has met at least four times — despite Ajit Pawar splitting the NCP on July 2 to align with the ruling BJP-Eknath Shinde government, media reports said.

Earlier, Maharashtra Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had set a condition before Ajit Pawar tio become Chief Minister of Maharashtra - rope Sharad Pawar into the ruling alliance.

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi has told Ajit Pawar that if he wants his dream of becoming the chief minister to come true, then he should get Sharad Pawar on their side… And that is why Ajit Pawar seems to be repeatedly meeting Sharad Pawar and making desperate pleas,” Wadettiwar told the media.

‘Manipur not important for the BJP’

Hitting out at the Prime Minister over the Manipur issue, Pawar said that PM Modi did not think the situation in Manipur important enough to visit the state.

“The Modi government has been a mute spectator to the goings on in the (Manipur) region,” Pawar told reporters ahead of his public rally in Maharashtra’s Beed district on Thursday.

“Modi should go to the northeast and give confidence to the people, but he did not think it important. Instead, he preferred to address election meetings in Madhya Pradesh,” he added.

As per him, the northeast region is important and sensitive and therefore requires more attention, specially to the areas bordering China.

Also Read:Ajit Pawar not that big a leader to offer Sharad Pawar a Union Cabinet berth: Sanjay Raut

First Published:Aug 16, 2023 5:37 PM IST