‘BJP, Sena misusing Lord Ram’s name’

Mumbai: NCP leader Ajit Pawar kept up his attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena over the Ram Mandir issue, claiming that both parties were misusing Lord Ram’s name for political purposes.

Mr Pawar also termed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement of a `1 crore loan for small-scale industries as an “election jumla”.

Mr Pawar said, “Now that elections are near, BJP-Sena leaders know that they won't win the elections. They have done nothing in the past four years. People will vote these parties out. So, they are trying to polarise minds over the Ram Mandir issue.

Mr Pawar further added that, “Neither do these political parties respect Lord Ram nor do they want the temple. They just want power.”

Taking potshots at the PM’s scheme for small and medium-scale entrepreneurs, he said, “Who will get this loan in one hour? Have you seen anything happening over the past four years to help such small-scale industries! This is just an election jumla by BJP chief Amit Shah. Every election, they come with new jumlas.”

On the BJP-Sena alliance, Mr Pawar said, “The Sena is waiting for more ministries. The battle is for power and not for people’s issues. People have realised it now.”

On the alliance talks between the NCP and Congress, Mr Pawar said, “We have completed two-third of the seat-sharing work. The rest will be done in a few days. We will also try to take like-minded parties with us. In that case, we are also ready to talk with  Bhar-ipa Bahujan Mahasangh chief Prakash Ambedkar.”