Sharad Pawar criticises PM Modi, praises Rahul Gandhi

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on Wednesday criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his personal attacks against Opposition leaders, and praised Congress president Rahul Gandhi. He made the statements during the much-awaited interview by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray at Pawar's alma mater Brihan Maharashtra College of Commerce in Pune. Among other things, Pawar spoke about various issues in national as well as state politics. He also spoke about how to maintain harmony in the state.

Answering a question about the present status in politics, Pawar, without naming Modi, said: "At present, some politicians are seen making personal attacks. Recently, while making statement after the presidential address in Parliament, the way some personal remarks were made against some of the leaders, it was unwarranted."

Referring to Modi's speech, the NCP chief said: "Making statements like Jawaharlal Nehru did not make any contribution in India's democracy is not at all acceptable."

He also said the PM did not seem to be a team player. "There is a difference in running a state and running a country. If you want to run the country, you need a strong team. However, currently, the leaders do not seem to work as a team," he said.

On the other hand, Pawar praised Gandhi. "I have seen tremendous improvement in Rahul Gandhi," he said. "He is willing to learn and study about new issues. If he continues to walk on this path, the new generation will follow him and he will be able to revive the Congress party."

Speaking about the recent clashes in Bhima Koregaon, Pawar expressed concern over the growing caste politics in the state, "It is the state of Phule, Shahu, Ambedkar who preached about social harmony, it is worrying to see caste clashes at the state at present," Pawar said.