As Prime Minister Narendra Modi took oath for a historic third consecutive term, NCP (SP) president Sharad Pawar sought to know if he had the mandate to lead the country, news agency PTI reported.
The saffron party fell short of a majority in the recently concluded 2024 Lok Sabha elections and had to rely on the support of its allies to form the new coalition government at the Centre, Pawar said on Monday.
The senior politician was speaking at a party congregation in Ahmednagar, about 125 kilometers from Pune, on the occasion of the 25th founding day of the NCP, where the newly elected party MPs were congratulated.
“Narendra Modi took oath as Prime Minister (on June 9). But before taking oath, did he have the mandate of the country? Did the people of the country give him consent? They (BJP) did not have a majority. They had to count on the help of Telugu Desam Party and Bihar Chief Minister (Nitish Kumar)… thanks to them he was able to form the government,” Pawar said, PTI reported.
The former Union minister also commented that the new BJP-led NDA government was different from the previous ones.
“During the election period, Modi, wherever he went (to campaign), did not refer to the government as ‘Government of India’… he used to be called Modi Sarkar, Modi’s guarantee. Today that Modi guarantee no longer exists. Today he is no longer a Modi Sarkar. Today, thanks to your vote, you have to say that this is not a Modi Sarkar, it is the Government of India. Today, thanks to you, they have to take a different approach. “Pawar said in the meeting, referring to the results of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, PTI reported.
The post of prime minister belongs to the country and not to a particular party, he said, adding that the incumbent should think about all segments of the society, castes and creeds.
“But Modi forgot to do this. I think he did it deliberately. Minorities like Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Sikhs and Parsis are an important part of the country. They should have faith in the government, but Modi doesn’t.” he did. In a (campaign), he talked about a class of people who have more children. It is clear that he was referring to Muslims,” Pawar said, PTI reported.
“He (PM) said that if power passes into the hands of these people, they will snatch women’s mangalsutras etc. Have such things happened in the country? He also said that the opposition will take one buffalo if someone has two, “If he comes to power, should a prime minister speak like this? Modi is not restrained when it comes to criticizing others,” Pawar said, reported PTI.
The NCP (SP) chief also talked about Modi calling him “bhatakti aatma” (wandering and restless soul) and said that “it is good as the soul is eternal and this soul will not forgive you.”
Modi called the Shiv Sena (UBT) “nakli (fake) Shiv Sena”, Pawar said, and asked whether a person holding the post of Prime Minister should call someone or some group “nakli”, PTI reported.
“His actions show that when the possibility of regaining power diminishes, one becomes restless,” Pawar added, PTI reported.
Speaking of the PCN (SP), he said that he will create a new and successful team to obtain the support of the people.
“Not just in Maharashtra, but we will also have to work in Haryana and Jharkhand, where elections are scheduled to be held in the next three months, and form governments,” Pawar said, PTI reported.
He asked the party officials to strengthen the organization and protect the interests of the marginalized sections of the society.
People thought that the construction of the Ram Temple would be relevant in politics, but the BJP candidate was defeated in Ayodhya itself, Pawar noted.
“Tomorrow, if I visit the Ram temple in Ayodhya, I will not use it for my politics. The people of Ayodhya took note of the wrong committed by Modi and ensured the defeat of the BJP candidate,” he said, PTI reported.
Praising newly elected Ahmednagar MP Nilesh Lanke who defeated BJP’s sitting MP Sujay Vikhe Patil, Pawar said the former was criticized for not being able to speak English.
“But you can speak in Hindi or your mother tongue,” he added.
The eight NCP (SP) MPs will be guided at all times, Pawar assured, adding that they would be the NCP’s “ashtapradhan mandal” (council of eight ministers) in Parliament in the same way Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj had his ashtapradhan mandal.
(With input from PTI)