Pune: Sharad Pawar Warns Against Central Govt. Overreach, Calls for Upholding Democratic Ideals
Hadapsar, 11th May 2024: Sharad Pawar held a meeting in Hadapsar to campaign for Dr Amol Kolhe, the Mahavikas Aghadi candidate and sitting MP of Shirur. Former MLA Mahadev Babar, Balasaheb Shivarkar, NCP city president Prashant Jagtap, Ankush Kakade, and Nilesh Magar were among those present at the event.
In this meeting, former Chief Minister Sharad Pawar expressed his belief by drawing a parallel between the removal of the British and the potential removal of Narendra Modi. He stated, “There is a misuse of power by the central government. Those who raise their voice against it are falsely accused and imprisoned. The country is heading towards dictatorship. Mahatma Gandhi successfully ousted the British, despite their claim that the sun never sets in this country under their rule.”
He continued, “The BJP cannot handle criticism or differing opinions. If we speak our minds against them, they throw us in jail under false charges. Instead of discussing their achievements over the past ten years, PM Modi resorts to personal attacks. They base their arguments on lies. The Congress manifesto does not contain any such provisions as they claim, such as the removal of Mangalsutras from sisters’ necks. They spread falsehoods because they have nothing substantial to say. They ridicule Rahul Gandhi, but the Gandhi family has made significant contributions to the country. Whether Modi has contributed even 1 % of that should be questioned. I stated that the ideologies of Gandhi and Nehru should be upheld in the country. Our party advocates for this. I, along with Uddhav Thackeray, will never support a party that promotes divisive religious ideologies. We will do whatever it takes to remove these people from power.”
On the topic of elections, Pawar said, “Elections in the country were traditionally conducted in one, two, or at most three days. This year, for the first time, the election is being held in seven phases, and the Election Commission’s decision is questionable. For instance, Tamil Nadu with 40 MPs is having elections in one phase, while Maharashtra, with 48 MPs, is spread across six phases. This raises doubts among the people about the election process. This decision is currently under scrutiny.”
Concluding his remarks, he asked, “How frequently should the Prime Minister of a country visit a state for campaigning? Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi used to hold 1 meeting in a state. Today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi holds 8 meetings in 1 state. It is within his rights. However, this unprecedented frequency raises questions. Even with numerous meetings, the desired results are not evident. So, they continue to hold more meetings. It appears that Modi’s strategy is to ensure that the election outcomes will be influenced by the sheer volume of government gatherings. They need to address this.”
He also took a dig at Hadapsar MLA Chetan Tupe, leader of the NCP (AP), stating, “Late Vitthalrao Tupe was always committed to the unity of the country and the state. He consistently distanced himself from Jana Sangh and BJP ideology. It was expected that this tradition would continue with the next generation. Unfortunately, his current-generation MLA Chetan Tupe won with our support but aligned with the BJP in pursuit of power. The consequences of this will become evident in due course.”
