New Delhi:
Even as several opposition leaders are under the scanner of central investigative agencies, NCP chairman Sharad Pawar said on Sunday that his party will never surrender to the “rulers in Delhi” and urged non-BJP parties to work together to fight the keep saffron party away from power.
During the eighth National Convention of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in Delhi, Pawar criticized Prime Minister Modi’s government for rising inflation, unemployment, handling the peasant protests and “fuelling hatred” against religious minorities in the country.
“We must democratically challenge the current government, which is abusing central agencies such as the enforcement directorate, the CBI and the money force. We must be prepared for a fight,” the 81-year-old Rajya Sabha member told party officials.
Opposition leaders who cross party lines, including Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Farooq Abdullah, P Chidambaram, Karti Chidambaram, Sanjay Raut, Nawab Malik, Abhishek Banerjee, Satyendra Jain and Manish Sisodia, are being scanned by central agencies.
While Prime Minister Modi’s government claims they are under investigation for alleged irregularities committed by them, the opposition calls the actions political vendetta.
Mr. Pawar also emphasized the importance of the location where the conference was held at the Talkatora Indoor Stadium.
“It is precisely in this place that Bajirao Peshwa camped with his army in 1737 and challenged the rulers of Delhi,” he said.
The veteran leader also instructed his party staff to devise strategies with like-minded parties and establish joint programs on issues affecting the common man and to keep the BJP away from power.
During a media briefing, senior NCP leader Praful Patel said Pawar is in a unique position to play a strong role in uniting opposition forces.
At the same time, he brushed aside rumors that the eight-year-old was a claimant for the prime minister’s post, but said he always pursued constructive politics.
“Pawar Saab was never a claimant for the post of Prime Minister. We are a party grounded in reality. Our party may be smaller compared to others, but our leader is respected across the country, far more than the popularity of our party,” said Mr. Patel.
The NCP’s National Convention was also addressed by senior leaders PC Chacko, Chhagan Bhujbal, Supriya Sule, Jayant Patil, Amol Kolhe and Fouzia Khan, among others.
Pawar also emphasized nurturing young leadership by giving them priority in the upcoming elections for the city corporations, zilla parishad and panchayat samitis across the country.
He also praised NCP youth wing chairperson Dheeraj Sharma and party student wing chairperson Sonia Doohan for organizing the national convention in Delhi.
The loudest cheers came for Ajit Pawar, former deputy chief minister of Maharashtra and current leader of the opposition in the state assembly, when Mr Pawar’s daughter Sule praised his handling of the finance ministry during Covid.
However, Ajit Pawar, considered the heir apparent in the NCP, was missing when his name was mentioned as the penultimate speaker before the NCP supremo made his closing remarks.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by DailyExpertNews staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.)