NCP Chief Sharad Pawar Hits Back at Modi Over ‘Family Feud’ Remark

Sharad Pawar.

(Photo: Reuters)

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on Saturday, 6 April, hit back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for claiming that there were disputes in the former's family and said Modi is using tricks to hide his failures.

‘Insinuation Coming From Man Who Doesn’t Have Experience of a Family’

Pawar said the insinuation was coming from a man who did not have any experience of a family, nor does he know where they are presently.

"I would like to tell him (Modi) that we brothers were raised in a cultured atmosphere and our mother gave us virtues. A person who does not have any experience of a family nor any idea where his family is presently is trying to inquire into (that of) others," the NCP chief said on Saturday, adding that his brothers were all reputed in their own fields.

While Pawar is a Padma Vibhushan, his brother Pratap is chairman-managing director of Sakal newspapers and has been awarded the Padma Shri.

PM Modi, during a rally in Wardha on 1 April, had said that Pawar was losing his grip on the Nationalist Congress Party, which was hit by a "family feud".

“Pawar’s grip on the party is loosening. The situation is that Pawar saheb’s nephew (Ajit Pawar) is trying to take control of the party. Because of this, the NCP faced problems in ticket distribution.”  

PM Modi claimed at the rally

‘Modi Govt Criticising Gandhi Family to Hide Its Own Failures’

Pawar said he had got values and virtues of politics from stalwarts like former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and YB Chavan, Maharashtra's first chief minister and a former Deputy Prime Minister.

“Now these people (in the Modi government), in order to hide their failures, are criticising the Gandhi family. Now my family is also included (in the attacks).”  

NCP chief Sharad Pawar

Referring to the telecom revolution during Rajiv Gandhi's tenure as PM, Pawar said it is because of his (Rajiv Gandhi) efforts that people in India are using cellphones today, India Today reported.

The NCP chief blamed the Modi government for destroying the lives of thousands of farmers in Maharashtra and held it responsible for the joblessness among youth post demonetisation, according to the report.

He urged the gathering to commit to defeating the BJP in Lok Sabha polls.

(With inputs from PTI and India Today)