Sharad Pawar Defends Gandhi Family, Criticizes PM Modi at Pune Rally

Pune: Nationalist Congress Party-Sharad Chandra Pawar (NCP-SP) Chief Sharad Pawar praised the contributions and sacrifices of the Gandhi family while taking aim at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his criticisms of them. Speaking at a public rally in the Vadgaon Sheri Assembly constituency of Pune district, Pawar emphasized that instead of addressing pressing issues like inflation, law and order, and unemployment during his election rallies in Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir, Modi chose to target the Gandhi family.

"We would have appreciated it if he had spoken about the country's interests regarding inflation, law and order, and unemployment. Instead, he discussed three generations—Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, and now Rahul Gandhi. Nehru was imprisoned for 14 years, and both Indira and Rajiv sacrificed their lives for the nation. Indira Gandhi taught Pakistan a lesson by creating Bangladesh, and Rajiv Gandhi modernized the country. Instead of acknowledging their sacrifices, Modi criticized them," Pawar stated.

Reflecting on the changing political landscape, Pawar noted that five years ago, the Congress party won only one seat out of 48 in Maharashtra, while the NCP secured four. "This time, I am confident we will see a different outcome. In the recent Lok Sabha elections, we won 31 out of 48 seats, demonstrating that the people desire change. The same change is needed in the upcoming Maharashtra polls," he asserted.

Pawar also challenged the central government's 'One nation, one election' resolution, pointing out the inconsistency in holding separate elections for Jammu and Kashmir and Haryana. "Why the differing decisions? The rulers are attempting to mislead the public with their deceptive politics," he remarked.

Taking a jab at the BJP's ambition of winning more than 400 seats in the Lok Sabha, Pawar expressed skepticism about this goal. "The Prime Minister traveled extensively, emphasizing the need for '400 Paar' in his speeches. While people believed in the slogan, they were worried about Modi returning to power with 400 seats. But why is this 400 needed?" he questioned.

He claimed that the BJP's '400 Paar' slogan aims to undermine the constitutional framework established by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. "People thought that securing 400 seats would lead to development and reduced inflation, but Modi's focus seems to be on dismantling our constitutional framework," he added.

Pawar revealed that he formed an alliance with the INDIA bloc to counter the BJP's potential to alter the constitution and strip citizens of their rights. "This alliance, which includes Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, was established to thwart their attempts to approach 400 seats in the election," he stated.

Criticizing the current Maharashtra government, Pawar highlighted the deteriorating law and order situation in the state. "Instead of development, the current government supports drug cartels and gangs. When we were in power, we implemented various development projects to benefit the citizens," he asserted.

In a specific critique of Sunil Tingare, the current MLA from Vadgaon Sheri Assembly constituency, Pawar referenced his involvement in a recent accident. "One MLA here claims to be efficient, but he went to the police station to support the accused instead of helping the victims in a tragic accident where two young lives were lost," Pawar concluded.

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