Pawar: Muslim spin in PM’s talk shows BJP lost in first 3 phases

PUNE: NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar said that voting in the first three phases of the ongoing Lok Sabha elections has unsettled Prime Minister Narendra Modi and he has openly started mentioning Muslim community in his speeches.

Talking to reporters in Satara of western Maharashtra, Pawar elaborated on his merger with the Congress remark, saying that several parties have an ideology that is similar to that of the grand old party.

Asked about his assessment of the Lok Sabha elections after the completion of three phases, the former Union minister said, “It seems that voting in all these three phases is unsettling for Modi and the reason (for saying this) is that after these phases, PM Modi has changed his tone.

“He has started making a mention of Muslim community openly (in his speeches). It seems he thinks that the situation would change by bringing in communal thoughts. It is my observation that some people in his party think that as the phases complete, his position is getting in danger," he said.

Asked about his party’s possible merger with the Congress, Pawar said he never made any such remark. Pawar, in an interview to a newspaper said recently that in the next couple of years, several regional parties will associate more closely with the Congress or even merge with it.

Elaborating on it, he said, “Take the example of our party - NCP. From foundation till today, NCP and Congress have been working together. The ideology of both the parties is rooted in (the ideals of Mahatma) Gandhi and (Jawaharlal) Nehru. So, it will be no surprise to see an increase in sentiments among parties that share (an ideology similar to that of the Congress), coming together and working more closely with each other."