PM Modi targets Pawar for his ambitions of becoming Prime Minister

The Asian Age.  | Joseph Rao

Metros, Mumbai

Mr Modi made the comment while launching his election campaign from the land of Mahatma Gandhi and Acharya Vinoba Bhave.

Sharad Pawar

Wardha: Prime Minister Narendra Modi Monday targeted NCP chief Sharad Pawar for his Prime Ministerial ambitions.

Mr Modi made the comment while launching his election campaign from the land of Mahatma Gandhi and Acharya Vinoba Bhave. Maharas-htra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, state president Raosaheb Danve and Wardha BJP MP Ramdas Tadas were also present on the occasion.

Mr Modi said everybody knew Mr Pawar was nurturing ambitions to become the Prime Minister of the country but gauging the mood of the electorate and the prospects of NDA retaining power in Delhi, Pawar quietly withdrew from the race saying he was happy in the Rajya Sabha. His party was being taken over by his nephew.

Mr Modi ridiculed Pawar as the hit wicket taken by his nephew. The NCP was facing a family war, he said, criticising the Congress-NCP regime and describing them as kumbhakarni where one party slept for six months while the other ruling partner indulged in looting. Whether it was irrigation, real estate or infrastructure projects, they would pile up money through corruption, he said.

Pawar was the Union agriculture minister for ten years but did nothing to stop farmers’ suicides. Mr Modi also reminded the people of former deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar’s sarcastic remarks on the depleting irrigational water levels. Mr Modi said it would not be appropriate for him to repeat the remarks.

When Pawar was in power in Maharashtra, the farmers from Mawal had to face bullets, he said. The Congress-NCP combine looted the funds meant for irrigation projects, Mr Modi said, and added that his government was committed to completing the irrigation projects in Maharashtra.

He said the NDA government had cleared 99 pending irrigation projects and 26 of them were in Maharashtra.

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