Pawar slams Modi, warns against "power concentration" in one man
Mumbai: NCP chief Sharad Pawar feels there are grim portents for Indian democracy in “concentration of power” in the hands of BJP's PM aspirant Narendra Modi as seen by the marginalisation of party veterans like
Today, the examples of Advani, Joshi and Singh are illustrative of how power has started concentrating in Modi's hand. It's just the beginning,” Pawar said. Pawar, a former Congressman, said people do not like Modi's idea of a Congress-free India and feels it could boomerang on BJP's PM hopeful.
“When Modi started his ‘Congress mukt' mission, everybody was shaken. That hurt. People don't like the idea of a Congress-free India. Our own thinking is what we learnt from Nehru, Gandhi and Gandhian thinking. Babasaheb Ambedkar provided us a Constitution which gave tremendous power to the common people. I don't know why Modi raised this (slogan),” Pawar said.
Asked if it can boomerang on Modi and BJP, Pawar said, “I think so. When I go to villages and towns, people raise this issue.”
The NCP veteran also attacked Modi over his assertion that the Lok Sabha poll will mark the end of Nahru-Gandhi ‘dynasty'.
“It is not the question of Nehru-Gandhi dynasty, it is the question of Nehru-Gandhi ideology. It is symbolic representative of a particular Congress ideology, of the unity of this nation, of secularism of this country. “I don't think the glorious history of a country can be erased.
“When Modi started his ‘Congress mukt' mission, everybody was shaken. That hurt. People don't like the idea of a Congress-free India. Our own thinking is what we learnt from Nehru, Gandhi and Gandhian thinking. Babasaheb Ambedkar provided us a Constitution which gave tremendous power to the common people. I don't know why Modi raised this (slogan),” Pawar said.
Asked if it can boomerang on Modi and BJP, Pawar said, “I think so. When I go to villages and towns, people raise this issue.”
The NCP veteran also attacked Modi over his assertion that the Lok Sabha poll will mark the end of Nahru-Gandhi ‘dynasty'.
“It is not the question of Nehru-Gandhi dynasty, it is the question of Nehru-Gandhi ideology. It is symbolic representative of a particular Congress ideology, of the unity of this nation, of secularism of this country. “I don't think the glorious history of a country can be erased.