Pune (Maharashtra) [India], September 28 : Nationalist Congress Party-Sharad Chandra Pawar (NCP-SP) Chief Sharad Pawar hailed the contributions and sacrifices of the Gandhi family for the nation while taking a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his criticism of them.
Pawar said that PM Modi is targeting the Gandhi family instead of focusing on inflation, law and order, and unemployment while addressing poll rallies in Haryana and J-K.
"We would have been happy if he had spoken in the interest of the county on inflation, law and order, and unemployment. We would have appreciated it. But he talked about three generations - Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and now Rahul Gandhi. Nehru was in jail for 14 years. Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi also sacrificed their lives for the nation. Indira Gandhi taught lesson to Pakistan by creating Bangladesh. Rajiv Gandhi did many things to modernise the country. The family whose three generations sacrificed their lives for the nation. Modi instead of appreciating them, criticised them," he said while addressing a public rally in the Vadgaon Sheri Assembly constituency of Pune district.
He said that five years ago Congress had one seat out of 48 and the NCP got 4 in the Maharashtra Lok Sabha election.
"But this time I was confident we would create some different picture. In the recently concluded Lok Sabha election, we won 31 seats out of 48. It shows that people wanted change, and you will have to bring the same change in Maharashtra in upcoming polls," he said.
Pawar said that the centre came up with a resolution of 'One nation, one election', but immediately after the resolution was passed in the cabinet, the polls of Jammu and Kashmir and Haryana were announced separately from the Maharashtra election.
"Why are you taking different decisions? The rulers are trying to mislead the people with their deceiving politics," he said.
He also took a dig at the target of the BJP of winning more than 400 seats in the Lok Sabha polls.
Sharad Pawar said, "In the recently concluded Lok Sabha polls, the Prime Minister went various places and talked about '400 Paar' in his election speeches. He was talking about not taking any fewer seats than 400 seats. People also believed that Modi hai toh Mumkin hai. People were worried that once again Modi would return to power with 400 seats but why is this 400 needed?"
He claimed that the BJP pitched the '400 Paar' slogan to destroy the framework of the constitution drafted by Dr Baba Ambedkar.
"People thought that 400 seats were needed for development and to bring inflation down, but Modi was not interested in all these as his colleagues were interested in destroying the framework of the constitution, drafted by Dr Baba Ambedkar. His ministers and BJP leaders from Bengaluru, Rajsthan and Uttar Pradesh said that they want 400 seats as they want to change the constitution," he said.
Pawar divulged that he formed an alliance with INDIA bloc as people like him were restless that should they (BJP) get the power, they will change the constitution and deprive people of their rights.
"That is why we formed the INDIA alliance with Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, myself, people of Mulayam Singh Yadav's party in it and foiled their attempt to reach near 400 seats in the election," he said.
He also criticised the current Maharashtra government over the law and order situation in the state.
He said, "In Maharashtra's current government, instead of development, they are supporting drug menaces and Koyta gangs. When we were in power in Maharashtra, we did various developments in different pockets of the state to benefit the citizens."
While slamming the current MLA from Vadgaon Sheri Assembly constituency, Sunil Tingare, who is from Ajit Pawar group NCP, the NCP-SP Chief said that his name surfaced in the Pune Prosche Car accident case.
Pawar said, "There is one MLA here who calls himself an efficient MLA whose name is Sunil Tingare, but in a road accident by a high-end car where two young innocent people died, instead of helping them, he went to the police station to support the accused."