Remarking that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “uneasiness” had increased following the June 23 meeting of Opposition parties in Patna, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar on June 29 said that the next meeting of Opposition parties would be held in Bengaluru on July 13 and 14.
“It appears that the PM’s uneasiness has increased after our Patna meeting where leaders of 16 Opposition parties gathered. He was in America when we met in Patna… On his return, when he came to know of our meeting, his uneasiness started increasing and he began attacking us at a personal level. He even called our meeting ‘a photogenic session’. We have taken a decision to meet again on July 13 and 14 in Bengaluru,” Mr. Pawar said, adding that a previous plan to hold the meeting in Shimla had been scrapped as the hill-station was facing excess rainfall.
“The decision to choose Bengaluru as the next venue was taken today. There, we shall discuss future electoral strategy and the means on how to combat the ruling party’s [BJP’s] misuse of power and the communal situations it was creating in many States,” Mr. Pawar said.
UCC stance
Regarding the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), he said that the Union government should first introduce reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state Legislative Assemblies before talking about UCC implementation. Mr. Pawar added that the NCP would make its stand on the UCC clear after assessing the suggestions and demands of various communities.
Taking aim at the PM over the turbulent situation in Manipur, Mr. Pawar remarked: “Manipur has been burning for the last 45 days. People and officers there are asking whether or not they are citizens of this country… but the Modi government has utterly failed to bring the situation under control.”
‘Undignified remarks’
Mr. Pawar slammed Mr. Modi’s Bhopal remarks against him and his daughter, NCP MP Supriya Sule. “The picture is that the majority of States today are not under the BJP’s control. Because they have no guarantee about electoral results in 2024, the PM, without regard for his post, has made undignified remarks about me, my party and my daughter [Ms. Sule]. Ms. Sule, has, on her own merit, has been elected thrice in parliament. After that, she distinguished herself by her performance by maximum participation in the Lok Sabha and has won the [Sansad Ratna] award seven times in a row. The PM’s remarks hinting at nepotism within the NCP does not befit a person of his position,” Mr. Pawar said. However, he added that there was no cause for any personal animosity between himself and the PM as he had recently spoken to Mr. Modi concerning a function to be held in Pune on August 1.
During his recent Bhopal visit, the PM had targeted Mr. Pawar regarding alleged scams to the tune of nearly ₹70,000 crore against the NCP and its leaders, including the Maharashtra Cooperative Bank scam, the Maharashtra irrigation scam and an illegal mining scam.
Recalling 2019 drama
On Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’s claims about Mr. Pawar playing a ‘double game’ during his attempts at government formation with NCP leader Ajit Pawar in 2019, the NCP chief chastised Mr. Fadnavis, who is the State’s Home Minister, asking him to focus on the safety and security of women in Maharashtra instead of making such remarks.
“In 14 districts of the State alone, between January 23 and May 23, a total 4,431 girls or women are missing. I think the State’s Home Minister, instead of making other remarks, ought to do something about the security of our sisters in the State,” said the NCP chief.
Mr. Fadnavis had claimed that the plan to form the government after the 2019 Assembly election had had Mr. Pawar’s full blessing, till the NCP chief changed his stance at the last moment.
In response, Mr. Pawar quipped: “If I had indeed pulled back at the last minute, then what was the need [for Mr. Fadnavis] to take the oath in secrecy [along with Ajit Pawar] in 2019…this only goes to show the BJP cannot survive without power. The BJP leaders in the state are restless… The morning swearing-in ceremony with Ajit Pawar established that the BJP can go with anyone to be in power. That is what I wanted to prove and I did so. You may call it my ploy or anything else… Even if I may not have played cricket, I know how to throw a googly as I have been Chairman of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and ICC president.”
