Sharad Pawar predicts doomsday for BJP in 2019 LS polls

Pune: NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Saturday admitted to the possibility of the BJP emerging as the single-largest party in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, but felt that the party would not be able to gain a majority that would ensure PM Modi a second term.

"If the BJP does not get a clear-cut majority, and I am sure that they won't, they won't be able to form a government by themselves. In such a situation, there's every possibility that somebody will form a government with the support of others. But even in a case where some parties do support the BJP, they will want a leader other than Narendra Modi," Pawar told NDTV.

Pawar claimed that the country was witnessing a definite shift in public mood against the BJP. "Rural India is practically bent on defeating Modi. They are against the Modi government, they are unhappy with the Modi government," he added.

The senior NCP leader on Saturday hit back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for claiming there were disputes in the former's family.

Pawar said the insinuation was coming from a man who did not have any experience of a family, nor does he know where they are presently.

PM Modi, during a rally in Wardha on April 1, had said that Pawar was losing his grip on the Nationalist Congress Party which was hit by a "family feud".

"Pawar's grip on the party is loosening. The situation is that Pawar saheb's nephew (Ajit Pawar) is trying to take control of the party. Because of this, the NCP faced problems in ticket distribution," the PM had claimed at the rally.

Hitting back, Pawar on Saturday said, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his rally in Wardha said there are disputes in the Pawar family. That Ajit Pawar has taken control of the family and that the Pawar family is no longer united."

"I would like to tell him that we brothers were raised in a cultured atmosphere and our mother gave us virtues," the NCP chief said.

He went on add that his brothers were all reputed in their own fields and said how great his mother was that her sons have got Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan.

While Pawar is a Padma Vibhushan, his brother Pratap is chairman-managing director of Sakal newspapers and has been awarded the Padma Shri.

"A person who does not have any experience of a family nor any idea where his family is presently is trying to inquire into (that of) others," Pawar said.

Pawar said he had got values and virtues of politics from stalwarts like former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and YB Chavan, Maharashtra's first chief minister and a former Deputy Prime Minister.

"Now these people, in order to hide their failures, are criticising the Gandhi family. Now my family is also included (in the attacks)," he added.

Stating that a BJP MP had spoken about changing the Constitution, he said the people would oppose any such move and "your ideology would burn in their (public) anger".

He asked the gathering to commit themselves to defeat the BJP in the April-May Lok Sabha polls.

Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy Sunday said a section of people wanted to "finish him off politically" by defeating his son Nikhil Kumaraswamy in the Mandya Lok Sabha constituency.

Reflecting the widening cracks in the ruling coalition, Kumaraswamy said he was relying "only on the JD(S) MLAs, MLCs and the sitting member of parliament L R Shivarame Gowda (in Mandya)."

Speaking to reporters in Udupi, the Chief Minister said he did not depend on the alliance partner, Congress in Mandya.

"Some Congress leaders are working and some are not working (in Mandya), but I am not upset with that. There is a section out to finish me off by defeating Nikhil Kumaraswamy. However, they don't have the support of the local people there," Kumaraswamy alleged.

He was responding to a query about the squabbling among coalition partners -- JD(S) and Congress.

"I have eight MLAs (in Mandya Lok Sabha constituency), three MLCs and the sitting Lok Sabha member (L R Shivarame Gowda) are there.. They will work.. I won't blame anybody."

Noting that the situation was 'adverse' for JDS in Mandya while there was reported discord among coalition partners in Tumakuru and Hassan also, he, however, said, "We will not let down the candidates of our alliance partner."

Three days ago, the JD(S) workers had openly rebelled against the Congress candidate for Mysore constituency, C H Vijayashankar and shouted pro-BJP slogans in the presence of Higher Education Minister and JD(S) MLA G T Deve Gowda.

The outburst was against the 'hostility' of Congress in Mandya and Hassan, the two constituencies where former prime minister H D Deve Gowda's grandsons Nikhil Kumaraswamy and Prajwal Revanna are contesting the Lok Sabha election.

Reacting to film actress Sumalatha Ambareesh's accusation that the JD(S) was playing 'mischief' in Mandya, the chief minister retorted it was she who has been running a negative campaign.

He also refuted her charge that the JD(S) fielded her three namesakes.

"How can I stop anyone from contesting the election? Kumaraswamy contended.

Sumalatha, the widow of popular Kannada actor and former MP from Mandya Ambareesh, is giving a tough time to Nikhil with the support of BJP and some disgruntled Congress and JD(S) leaders.