PUNE: Nationalist Congress Party (SCP) chief, Sharad Pawar, on Thursday said that Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi must speak on the steps being taken against ‘encroachment’ of Indian territories by China.
Asked about the PM’s interview to Newsweek, Pawar - who served as union defence minister in the Manmohan Singh-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government from 1991 to 1993 - said that while Modi has criticised the Congress for ceding an island (Katchatheevu) to Sri Lanka in 1974, he must also speak up on the ‘encroachment’ of Indian territories by China.
“The issue was discussed inside and outside Parliament. Modi is not talking about the steps he has taken on the India-China border dispute,” Pawar told reporters.
Criticising Raj Thackeray for supporting Modi, Pawar said that the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief has changed his stand multiple times over the last 10 to 15 years.
Asked about Ajit Pawar-led NCP’s Praful Patel’s comment that Sharad Pawar was ready to support the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) but backed out at the last moment, the opposition stalwart shot back saying, “Who quit the party and who stayed back?”
On Patel’s claim that H D Deve Gowda had offered Sharad Pawar the post of Prime Minister in 1996, the NCP (SCP) chief said that it was true but that he had rejected the offer since there was no majority (in Parliament).
{{/usCountry}}On Patel’s claim that H D Deve Gowda had offered Sharad Pawar the post of Prime Minister in 1996, the NCP (SCP) chief said that it was true but that he had rejected the offer since there was no majority (in Parliament).
{{/usCountry}}“It was related to the Congress and its allies. There was a meeting held in which my name was proposed unanimously, but since there was no majority, I did not find it appropriate to take up the offer so I turned it down politely,” Pawar said.