Sena rules out supporting Pawar's bid for PM's chair

In a clear indication that his party will not back NCP chief Sharad Pawar's bid to become prime minister, Shiv Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray today said, a person "who could not solve farmers' problems" cannot become the prime minister.

In a clear indication that his party will not back NCP chief Sharad Pawar's bid to become prime minister, Shiv Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray on Friday said, a person "who could not solve farmers' problems" cannot become the prime minister.

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"How can a person who as Union Agriculture Minister could not solve problems of farmers become the Prime Minister?" Thackeray asked while talking to reporters after releasing the Sena poll manifesto. Asked about Sena chief Bal Thackeray's desire that a Marathi person should become the Prime Minister, Uddhav said, "you are under the wrong impression that Marathi means only Pawar."

"In Pawar's tenure as Agriculture Minister, maximum suicides took place in Maharashtra," Uddhav said. "We cannot go along with NCP. Do they accept our Hindutva agenda?" he asked. "There are winds of change in Maharashtra. The Sena-BJP government will come to power here. At the Centre, it will be a government led by LK Advani," Uddhav said.