Amid speculations of joining hands with NDA, NCP chief Sharad Pawar in a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his silence on the Manipur issue said the PM was a silent spectator when the northeastern state was burning. He also added that the Prime Minister finds it more important to go to the election rally, but he does not go to Manipur to pacify everyone.
"The situation in Manipur is worrying. We wanted the PM to visit northeast once and build confidence among people there, but this did not seem important to the Prime Minister," Sharad Pawar said. “PM Modi spoke outside Parliament and gave a three minute video message on day one of the Monsoon session, and also briefly mentioned about Manipur in his lengthy reply to the debate on the no-confidence motion,” he added.
On BJP
The power of the country is in the hands of the Bharatiya Janata Party and its allies. Their role is to maintain unity in the society, but they are dividing people. There are many examples of how they (BJP) toppled state governments - like in Goa, Madhya Pradesh and also Maharashtra. Everyone has seen what happened after Uddhav Thackeray-led govt was toppled in Maharashtra.
On Election symbol
In the matter of election symbol, whatever happened with Uddhav Thackeray can happen with us also. Some powers of the central government can misuse the power. That's why something similar can happen with our symbol. It doesn't matter if the Election Commission itself decides, but the forces within the central government can influence that decision. Even though I don't care much about the election symbol, I have contested 14 elections and fought with a new symbol every time but won every time. Those in power at the centre are misusing power.
"For the last 8-10 days, I have been meeting party workers across Maharashtra. Two days ago in Sangola area of Solapur, at least 1000 people stopped my car at various locations. In Pune, Satara and other places many party workers came to meet me. I will visit Beed tomorrow," Sharad Pawar in Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar said.
