Modi says won't speak against Shiv Sena out of respect for Balasaheb, but mocks Pawar for being a failure as CM, Agriculture Min
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday launched a blistering attack on NCP chief Sharad Pawar on the latter’s home turf in western Maharashtra on Sunday, even as he said that he had decided not to criticise his party’s erstwhile saffron ally, Shiv Sena, in his campaign, out of his respect and reverence for the party’s founder, the late Balasaheb Thackeray.
As he stormed into western Maharashtra and addressed public rallies at Tasgaon in Sangli district and neighbouring Kolhapur city on the second day of his electioneering for the State Assembly polls, a miffed Modi singled out Pawar for a most vicious castigation over the latter’s recent comment that the people, who had termed Chhatrapati Shvaji as a “looter” of Surat treasury, were invoking the legacy of Maratha warrior, to seek votes.
Alluding apparently to a comment made by Pawar in Ahmednagar district of western Maharashtra, Modi said: “Shriman Sharadrao, I am extremely hurt by one of your statements that I read today. You do not seem to know the history. Gujarat was born in 1960. Before its birth, Gujarat was part of Maharashtra. Even today, Gujarat considers itself as Maharashtra’s younger brother. We as Gujaratis have always treated Maharashtra as our elder brother. let alone making any accusation, we have never thought of the accusation that you have attributed to Gujarat. In the process, you have committed a nasty sin against Gujarat”.
Hitting back at Pawar for his accusation that the BJP was exploiting Shivaji’s legacy to seek votes, Modi said: “Please tell me who named Mumbai airport after Chhatrapati Shivaji. It was Atal Bihari Vajpayee. You were a Chief Minister for several years and were also part of the Union Government, but the thought of renaming airport after Shivaji never came to you. Similarly, it was the Vajpayee Government that named the Victoria (railway) Terminus in Mumbai as Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST).”
At an election rally held at Parner in Ahmednagar district a few days ago, Pawar had targeted Modi and the BJP for seeking the blessings of Chhatrapati Shivaji, by saying: “The same people from Surat had dubbed Shivaji as a looter of their treasury. What have they got do with the Shivaji that has prompted them to seek his blessingsIJ”
Taking another potshot at Pawar, Modi said: “Shriman Sharadrao, you were a Chief Minister for many years and were also the Union Agriculture Minister. I can understand, there is absolutely no possibility of your imbibing the qualities of Chhatrapati Shivaji. At least if you — either as a Chief Minister or as a Union Agriculture Minister — had taken a leaf or two from the water management initiatives undertaken by the Maratha warrior in lifetime and implemented the same, we would not have faced a situation in Maharashtra where farmers are having to commit suicides.”
“let me tell Sharadraoji, I have installed a much bigger statue at Surat than the one that exists in your home town of Baramati in Pune district. What I have done is to give a fitting reply to those who were maligning the image of people of Surat,” Modi said. A day after most of newspapers in Maharashtra and across the country reported that he had chosen not to criticise the Shiv Sena in any of the
three elections held at Beed, Aurangabad and Mumbai, Modi said: "I am amazed that newspapers have reported that Modi has not criticised the Shiv Sena in his speeches. let me tell them: this is the first election being held in the absence of (late Shiv Sena chief) Balasaheb Thackeray. Considering the respect and reverence I have for Balasaheb and the efforts he made in a single-handed manner to build the Shiv Sena, I have made up my mind that I will not speak even one word against the Shiv Sena in this first election being held after the death of the late Thackeray. This is my tribute to the late Balasaheb".
"These are people who looted houses from Kargil widows, they stole jobs from the youth, they looted the happiness of the poor, they destroyed the hopes and aspirations of the people of Maharashtra," Modi said, as he came down heavily on the corrupt ways of both the erstwhile Democratic Front partners -- Congress and NCP.
Ridiculing the Congress once for demanding a report card from him for the work done by his Government during the past five months since it assumed office at the Centre, Modi said: "Though it ruled the country for 60 long years, the Congress has not come out with its report card. Instead, it is asking me as to what I have done in the first 60 days in office. let me tell them that despite it having being in power for 60 years, it had not given go ahead for the electricity general in the Narmada valley project. Within 15 days of my Government assuming office, I granted permission for the same. The work has already started and within one or two years, Maharashtra will start getting electricity worth Rs 400 crore free of cost from Narmada project".
Modi demanded to know from Pawar why sugar factories were facing closure in Maharashtra. "The farmers here are distressed because of the closure of the co-operative sugar factories. like the cooperative sugar movement, we have milk cooperative movement in Gujarat. Is it not a fact that Amul has become a flourishing productIJ Modi has nothing to do with the milk cooperative movement in Gujarat. It is being run by farmers. That's why they never faced a situation where they commit suicides. You have converted the co-operative sugar factories into havens of politics and are forcing the farmers to commit suicides. And you are not ready to accept responsibility for the same".
Exhorting the people to give an absolute majority to the BJP in the October 15 State Assembly polls, Modi said: "The Congress and NCP are beads of the same necklace. They are not rashtravadis but brashtacharvadis. The needle of the NCP clock (election symbol) has remained where it was when it was set up (in 1999). How can a party that has not been able to change its own fortunes change the fortunes of the people in the StateIJ"
"Maharashtra does not any longer need an alliance or Front Government. Please give absolute majority to the BJP and bring it to power, then you demand a five-year report card of development from me," the Prime Minister said. later in the evening, Modi addressed another election at Gondia in eastern Maharashtra. His scheduled rally at Nashik in north Maharashtra was, however, deferred to a later date.