Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar.
He expresses the confidence that Congress-NCP coalition would secure a large number of seats in Maharashtra.
In a strong rebuke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remarks on the late Rajiv Gandhi, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on Thursday said Mr. Modi’s “undignified” comments were “highly improper” and did not behove a person holding the Prime Minister’s post.
“Rajiv Gandhi’s death was deeply saddening…This is a family that has given the country two Prime Ministers and both of whom were tragically assassinated. Their contribution is immense. So, the Prime Minister’s disparaging remarks on the Gandhi family does not befit him,” he said in Satara district after a function organised on the occasion of the death anniversary of renowned social reformer Karmaveer Bhaurao Patil.
Mr. Pawar said Mr. Modi’s remark dubbing Rajiv Gandhi as ‘corrupt no. 1’ was all the more unfortunate as the latter was no longer alive. Mr. Modi’s devaluation of the Prime Minister’s post in this manner was a worrying sign for the future of politics in the country.
Mr. Pawar expressed the confidence that the Congress-NCP coalition would secure a large number of seats in Maharashtra and that the final outcome pointed in favour of the Opposition parties and against that of the ruling BJP-led NDA.
PM candidate
When asked about the prime ministerial candidate of the Opposition, he said the question was subordinate to other imperatives once the results were out on May 23.
“The first priority is to ensure that the Opposition secures a majority and that the anti-BJP bloc parties came together. We want change. And it is imperative to bring together all parties who seek this change and wish to overthrow the Modi government,” he said.
The NCP leader reiterated his worry over the possibility of the tampering of electronic voting machines (EVMs). He said he had experienced first-hand how EVMs could be manipulated. “I am worried because I have seen with my own eyes how these machines can be tampered with. Earlier, some people from Gujarat and Hyderabad placed some EVMs and asked me to press a button…I clicked on the clock symbol [NCP symbol], but I was startled to find that the vote went to lotus [BJP symbol].”
‘SC decision unfortunate’
Mr. Pawar said it was unfortunate that the Supreme Court dismissed a plea of 21 Opposition parties to review its judgment rejecting 50% random physical verification of EVMs using Voter-Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT).
He castigating the Devendra Fadnavis-led BJP government of Maharashtra for its alleged tardiness in implementing drought relief measures throughout the State. The imposition of the Model Code of Conduct was no excuse for failing to provide succour to the drought-afflicted, he said.
At the same time, he pointed out, it was not proper for parties to indulge in politics over drought.
“It is in this spirit that an NCP delegation conferred with Mr. Fadnavis to discuss how to combat the drought,” he said, adding that he too had extensively toured the State to take stock of the situation.
Two of Mr. Pawar’s kin are locked in a fierce combat with the BJP-Sena saffron coalition in two crucial Lok Sabha constituencies in Pune district.
Mr. Pawar’s daughter, two-time MP Supriya Sule, is the Congress-NCP alliance’s candidate for the all-important Baramati seat against political rookie Kanchan Kul (BJP-Shiv Sena candidate), while the NCP chief’s grand nephew, Parth Pawar, is the NCP-Congress candidate for the Maval Lok Sabha seat, where he is up against sitting Sena MP, Shrirang Barne.
No comments:
Post a Comment