PM advises Sharad Pawar to join them; NCP (SP) chief refuses

Pune: Sharad Pawar, the head of the NCP (SP), recently made a comment suggesting that smaller regional parties could merge or approach the Congress in the future. Prime Minister Narendra Modi criticised this statement on Friday. Modi, who did not reveal his identity, referred to Pawar's party as the “nakli (fake) NCP” and stated that it would be preferable if it joined the Maharashtra-led alliance “with pride” as opposed to merging with the Congress and “die in four days”.

In response to the Prime Minister's jab, Pawar declared that he would never break with the Nehru-Gandhi ideology and work with people who take an anti-Muslim stance.

At a rally in Maharashtra’s Nandurbar district, Modi said: “For 40-50 years, one tall leader from Maharashtra has been in politics. These days, he is making wild statements. After the Baramati election, he is frustrated and disappointed. After discussing with a lot of people, he made a statement. He has said that if smaller regional parties have to survive in politics, they will have to merge with Congress.”

“It means nakli NCP and nakli Shiv Sena have made up their minds to merge with the Congress,” he said, referring to Pawar’s party and Uddhav Thackeray’s party, which are part of the opposition INDIA bloc, Indian Express reported.

“Chaar din baad Congress mai jakarke marne ki bajay, seena taan karke humare Ajitdada aur Shindeji ke saath aaoo, aapke sabhi sapne poore ho jayenge. (Instead of merging with the Congress and dying four days later, join hands with Ajit Pawar and Eknath Shinde with pride, all your dreams will be fulfilled),” he said.

Incidentally, in an interview on May 4, Pawar had said: “In the next couple of years, several regional parties will associate more closely with the Congress. Or they may look at the option of merging with the Congress if they believe that is the best for their party.”

Asked whether that applied to his own party, the NCP (SP), he had said, “I don’t see any difference between the Congress and us…. Ideologically, we belong to the Gandhi-Nehru line of thinking.”

Pawar retaliated against the Prime Minister on Friday, accusing him of “taking a stand against one particular community” and reaffirming his commitment to the Nehru-Gandhi ideology.

“We admire the Nehru-Gandhi ideology. We will not go anywhere and will not leave the ideology. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made some comments about the Muslim community in his speeches. I have heard them. If we have to take this country forward and remain united, we will have to take all communities together. We cannot sideline one community and think of moving ahead,” he said.

“Prime Minister Modi is repeatedly taking a stand against one particular community. Public opinion is building up against him and that is why he is feeling uneasy and making such statements. Modi might be feeling our need, but we will never join hands with them by leaving the ideology that we have embraced,” the veteran leader said.

“Today, our parliamentary and democratic system is in danger. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren have been arrested and put in jail. These arrests cannot happen without the role of the Central government and the central leadership,” Pawar said. “Prime Minister does not believe in our democratic system. We cannot join hands with any person, party or ideology that does not have not faith in our parliamentary democracy.”