MUMBAI: After Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s jibe, NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Saturday said that the PM should give statements keeping and respecting his constitutional stature in mind.
Pawar in Mumbai said, “The Prime Minister’s post is an important post. A PM should give a statement keeping his constitutional stature in mind. I don’t know why he targeted me. But I think whatever he said is because of the fact that he was not briefed rightly. Whatever statement the PM had made on me, I will respond to that by keeping the importance and dignity of the PM post.”
Earlier the PM, without taking Pawar’s name, asked what has the former union agriculture minister has done for the state. Modi said while BJP is empowering farmers, through various schemes, a senior leader from Maharashtra (aimed at Pawar) did politics over farmer issue. Pawar was agriculture minister when the Congress-led UPA government was in office at the Centre (2004-14). He said the fear of losing power might have pushed the PM to make such comments.
“I want to make my stand clear on the statements made by PM Modi in Shirdi about my tenure as Agriculture Minister. I was Agriculture Minister for 10 years from 2004 to 2014. I had a crisis on the very first day of my tenure as Agri minister. I had to sign a document for import of food grains for the Public distribution system. If that was not done on time, our PDS distribution would have been stopped. Subsequently, I decided to increase the minimum support price (MSP) of various crops, and the MSPs of some crops were increased manifold,” Pawar said.
Shiv Sena (UBT) mouthpiece also attacked Modi over his jibe at Sharad Pawar’s contributions in development of Maharashtra and agriculture sector. According to records, BJP-run government under PM Modi gave the second highest civilian award — Padma Vibhushan — to Pawar for his contributions in agriculture, and social sector and Modi was speaking in contrast to that award.
“If you see the nationwide picture, there are a lot of states where BJP is not in power or their government has come after sabotaging other parties. And wherever there is a BJP government, they are on weak foot. This weakness and fear of losing power may have forced him (PM) to make such statements,” Pawar added.
Modi’s jibe
Earlier the PM, without taking Pawar’s name, asked what has the former union agriculture minister has done for the state. Modi said while BJP is empowering farmers, through various schemes, a senior leader from Maharashtra (aimed at Pawar) did politics over farmer issue. Pawar was agriculture minister from 2004 to 2014.