New Delhi Sept 12: The standoff with China in eastern Ladakh, unemployment and inflation were among the key issues that Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar targeted the Centre over on Sunday during his address at the party’s 8th national convention.
The NCP is among a raft of opposition parties making efforts to forge an alliance to take on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the Centre in the 2024 general elections. At Sunday’s event, Pawar’s party also dismissed talk of his aspirations for the PM’s post.
Addressing a crowd at the Talkatora stadium in the national capital, Pawar mounted an attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying he had misled the nation about Chinese incursions at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh.
“The PM said the Chinese army did not enter (the country). But now, it is clear that he made a misrepresentation. The failure of the Modi government on the matter of China is clear,” he said.“Under the Modi government, China continuously violated the LAC on the Indian border. Why are we not able to act assertively in front of Chinese infiltration or take action today? If this is not our failure, then what is?” Pawar questioned.
“He said the party workers have geared up to work nationally to challenge the misdeeds of the Union government and that Opposition unity would be its top priority,” Pawar said.
Continuing his attack, the NCP chief said that while the government claimed that the Indian economy was getting stronger, it is facing high inflation and unemployment rates.
Taking up the issue of inflation, Pawar said that the price of LPG cylinder went up from ₹410 under the Congress-led UPA government, to ₹1,000 under the NDA government led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).“The prices of petrol and diesel and the prices of food grains are touching the sky. The rupee has fallen against the dollar and the per capita income has come down… The far-reaching consequences of all this can be fatal,” the NCP chief said.
“But at the same time, BJP people are seen saying that everything is going well, their government is very good and the country’s economy is ahead as compared to many other countries,” he added.
He also urged the youth to band together to counter what he called were “misdeeds” of the Union government.
Senior NCP leaders Supriya Sule, Praful Patel, Ajit Pawar and Yoganand Shastri, as well as a raft of regional leaders, were present at the convention.Speaking to reporters, party MP Patel denied that Pawar was angling for the PM’s chair. “Sharad Pawar is not aspiring for the PM’s post; he didn’t do it in the past, he is not thinking of it at present… NCP has found national recognition, it will play an important role in the general elections,” he said.
The party also put out a statement on the issue on unemployment in the country.
“Every sixth youth in India is without a job. BJP is misleading the youth with the opium of religion,” the party said. Warning against this trend, the party said people need to be careful about the Union Government’s “divisive policies on the basis of religion”.
BJP spokesperson Prem Shukla said Pawar is “jittery because he is losing control over his party”.“He was considered to be the Chanakya of the MVA [Maha Vikas Aghadi] government [in Maharashtra], which has collapsed. His nephew Ajit Pawar seems to have taken control of the party and does not have much faith in senior Pawar’s leadership. Therefore, he (Sharad Pawar) is jittery and making all kinds of allegations,” Shukla said.
The BJP leader went on to say that Pawar should clarify how many jobs the MVA government provided in Maharashtra in the last two-and-a-half years.
