NCP president Sharad Pawar on Tuesday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who launched a scathing attack on Opposition leaders over corruption at a program in Bhopal, should think whether it was appropriate to speak about current and former chief ministers in this way.
Modi, earlier in the day, recounted allegations of corruption against the governments of the opposition parties which attended the recent meeting in Patna for forging a united front against the BJP. "The PM has presented before the country a new example of how to talk about people," Pawar said in a sarcastic tone while speaking to reporters here.
"Among those present at the Opposition's meeting were the chief minister of Tamil Nadu, several former chief ministers, who had the responsibility of governing their respective states and who enjoy people's support. How appropriate it is to make such statements about (one's) colleagues? The prime minister should think about it," he said.
As to Modi mentioning the alleged Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank scam while talking about corruption allegations against the NCP, Pawar said he was never a member of this bank.
"(Even) Today, I am not a member of the bank and have never done any financial or loan-related transactions with it. So how appropriate it is to level an allegation about an institution of which we are not even members?" he said.
He also said that there was no reason for the prime minister to mention NCP MP (and Pawar's daughter) Supriya Sule who too was never a part of any such institution. "But such statements are made just because some people can not digest the fact that Opposition leaders came together to discuss the issues plaguing the country," Pawar said.
