BJP leaders who criticised him are 'more loyal than the king', says Sharad Pawar

Sharad Pawar. Pic/X@PawarSpeaks

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar on Friday said the BJP leaders who criticized his comments on the Israel-Palestine issue were being "more loyal than the king", and welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's statement about India continuing its humanitarian assistance to the people of Palestine, reported news agency PTI.

His (Pawar's) views were in line with the stand of past prime ministers including Jawaharlal Nehru and Atal Bihari Vajpayee who supported a peaceful resolution of the long-standing dispute where Israel and Palestine can live in peace as neighbours, Sharad Pawar said in X.

"I appreciate Modi for endorsing the stand taken by previous prime ministers on the Israel-Palestine issue," the former defence minister added.

Over the last few days, BJP leaders Nitin Gadkari, Piyush Goyal, Devendra Fadnavis and Himanta Biswa Sarma offered "unsolicited advice and comments" without understanding his comments, Sharad Pawar said.

"With Modi's statement, I hope the BJP leaders who misconstrued my statement will understand the nation's stand on such a sensitive issue," he said, adding that the English phrase "more loyal than the king" probably describes their attitude.

Earlier, Pawar had said PM Modi's initial statement following Hamas' incursions into Israel conveyed a different position than that articulated by the Ministry of External Affairs.

"The external affairs ministry's statement has established that India has always supported the Palestine cause, and we will continue (to do so), but we are against any organisation which is involved in (terror) attacks. But the prime minister...gave assurance to the (Israel) prime minister that we are with Israel," the NCP chief had said.

He then came in for flak from BJP leaders. Maharashtra deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said Pawar should strongly condemn terrorism and not think of "vote-bank politics".

On Sunday, Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar asserted that the BJP's political prowess is diminishing across the nation, primarily due to its alleged misuse of power. Speaking at a gathering of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) office-bearers in Mumbai, he contended that individuals are not inclined to support political entities or leaders aligning themselves with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which exhibits a nationwide presence, reported PTI.

Pawar underscored, "The populace of this country does not align with those seeking alliances with the BJP. This sentiment transcends the entire nation. A glance at the national map reveals that the BJP does not govern a single state in South India."

It's noteworthy that Sharad Pawar's nephew and prominent NCP figure, Ajit Pawar, became a part of the Shiv Sena-BJP administration in July this year, along with eight MLAs. Ajit maintains that he has the backing of a majority of NCP legislators and has staked a claim to the party's name and electoral symbol.

Sharad Pawar, an instrumental figure in forming the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) following the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly elections, suggested that the BJP ascended to power in the state by splitting from the Shiv Sena. He posited that a similar strategy was applied in Goa and Madhya Pradesh, where the Congress held power until the government collapsed in March 2020, the report further stated.

(With inputs from PTI)