Mumbai: NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) chief Sharad Pawar and party leader Jayant Patil address the media in Mumbai, Thursday, June 6, 2024. (Photo: PTI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘bhatakta atma’ jibe against Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Sharad Pawar during the third phase of the Lok Sabha elections will only come back to haunt Modi, the NCP chief said. Pawar said on Monday that the Prime Minister’s language during his election campaign affected the dignity of his office.
“In one of his election speeches, Modi called me ‘bhatakti atma’… Good thing he said that. According to Modi, ‘atma’ will last forever. And this ‘atma’ will continue to haunt him,” Pawar said at a rally to commemorate the 25th founding anniversary of the NCP in Ahmednagar.
At a public meeting in Pune on April 29, Prime Minister Modi had noted, “There is a ‘bhatakti atma’ in Maharashtra… If it is not successful, it ruins the good work of others. The state is the victim of it.” Although he did not mention anyone by name, the comments were apparently directed at Sharad Pawar.
Pawar questions the legitimacy of Modi 3.0
Wondering whether Modi had the mandate to take over as Prime Minister for the third time, Pawar said, “Did Modi have the mandate of the people before taking the oath of office? Did he have the consent of the people? He did not have the majority. He has sought the help of Bihar Chief Minister and TDP to form the government.”
All eight newly elected MPs of the party (NCP), along with state chief Jayant Patil, Jitendra Ahwad and other leaders, were present at the meeting.
Recalling Modi’s campaign speeches, Pawar said, “Wherever Modi went during the election campaign, he emphasized on Modi Sarkar and Modi Guarantee. The Modi guarantee no longer exists. Likewise, there is no Modi Sarkar. Modi was forced to declare that it is not Modi Sarkar, but the Indian government and Bharat Sarkar. He was forced to change his position.”
Pawar claimed that the Prime Minister should not belong to any particular party, but Modi forgot this. “It is expected that the Prime Minister of this country should think about all sections of society, people of all castes, creeds and religions. But Modi forgot this. I don’t think he really forgot; it was part of his ideology. Be it Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Parsis… minorities, whatever denomination they belong to, are an important part of the country. Those in power have a responsibility to create trust in them. But Modi failed to instill confidence among the minorities.”
Prime Minister Modi has dishonored the dignity of office: Sharad Pawar
Recalling another speech of the Prime Minister during the election rallies, Pawar said, “During one of his rallies, Modi mentioned a particular community in the country where more children are being born, implying the Muslim community… He then said that if the INDIA bloc power comes, they will take away your mangalsutra. He also said that people from INDIA block would take away the buffalo from the farmer. What was he talking about? Is this what a Prime Minister of this country should discuss in his speeches? Modi did not maintain the decorum of his office. As political parties we attack each other, but we maintain a certain decorum.”
Criticizing the Prime Minister for calling the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena ‘nakli’ (fake) Shiv Sena, Pawar said, “Bal Thackeray formed the Shiv Sena and took it to new heights. The BJP allied with Shiv Sena and formed a government, winning the confidence of Marathi manoos. Now Modi calls Balasaheb Thackeray’s Shiv Sena ‘nakli’ Shiv Sena. Does this suit someone who holds the office of Prime Minister? This indicates that when someone knows that it will be difficult to come back to power, he resorts to making such wild statements and becomes restless.”
(With inputs from PTI)
First print: June 11, 2024 | 10:35 am IST