Pawar warns: ‘Social harmony may be disturbed after Ayodhya verdict’

With the Supreme Court (SC) set to give its verdict in the Ayodhya dispute, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on Wednesday said some forces may

With the Supreme Court (SC) set to give its verdict in the Ayodhya dispute, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on Wednesday said some forces may try to disturb social harmony in the country following the verdict and the judiciary should ensure this doesn’t happen. He also targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying he has never seen a PM telling his own countrymen to drown in shame (“doob maro”).

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Pawar was addressing a meeting of NCP legislators to elect the leader of the legislative party, at the NCP headquarters in Ballard Estate on Wednesday. With a tally of 54 seats, the NCP emerged the biggest opposition party in the state Assembly elections. Its ally Congress got 44 seats. Legislators elected Ajit Pawar as the legislative unit head of the NCP.

“The verdict in the Ayodhya dispute is expected to come soon. It is also a matter of faith for both the sides. People have already said they will accept the decision of the court. But I am afraid that some forces may try to disturb the social harmony of the country after the verdict. The court should ensure that brotherhood and social harmony remain intact. We all should pray and work to ensure this [disturbance] does not happen,” Pawar said while addressing the legislators.

The NCP chief indicated the party will continue to target the BJP-led government over unemployment. “As the main opposition party, our responsibility has increased. Economy is slowing down and people are losing jobs. We will constitute a study group to find the reasons and suggest solutions. We have to focus on real issues and if necessary struggle to get them resolved,” the former union minister said.

He said Modi tried to project Article 370 and Jammu and Kashmir as the solution to all issues, which was rejected by people. “They [BJP] tried to misuse what has happened in Kashmir. You ask about anything — recession, unemployment, farmer suicides — and their reply is Article 370. I don’t have any complaint about its [Article 370] removal, but they [the BJP government] tried to project it as a solution to all problems in the country,” Pawar said, adding, “I have never seen a Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) telling his own countrymen to drown in shame (doob maro).”