Lok Sabha elections 2024: PM Modi destroying democracy, no difference between him and Putin, says Sharad Pawar

Sharad Pawar. File Pic/PTI

Nationalist Congress Party (SP) chief Sharad Pawar on Sunday said that there was no difference between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin while accusing the former of slowly destroying democracy in the country, reported the PTI.

Sharad Pawar was speaking to reporters at Akluj in Solapur district, where he visited the residence of former deputy chief minister Vijaysinh Mohite Patil to discuss candidates for Madha and Solapur seats for upcoming Lok sabha elections 2024.

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"Modi doesn't wish for anyone from the Opposition to get elected. Such a stance by the prime minister shows that there is no difference between him and Russia's Vladimir Putin," he said, according to the PTI.

The arrest of a serving chief minister (Arvind Kejriwal) when the model code of conduct is in place shows that Modi is slowly destroying parliamentary democracy and the country is heading towards autocracy, Sharad Pawar said, as per the PTI.

In a democracy, like a ruling party, the opposition side is equally important, he said.

When asked about the BJP's manifesto for the Lok Sabha elections 2024, Sharad Pawar said, "It is not the right time to comment on their manifesto. However, making promises is the BJP's speciality," the news agency reported.

He said a meeting took place to discuss the Madha and Solapur Lok Sabha constituencies, where Congress leader Sushilkumar Shinde, Vijaysinh Mohite Patil and other prominent party bearers were present.

Vijaysinh Mohite Patil's nephew Dhairyasheel Mohite Patil resigned from the BJP earlier this week, and he is likely to join the NCP (SP).

"We wish for Dhairyasheel to contest from the Madha Lok Sabha seat. The decision about his induction will be taken later in the day in the presence of the party's state president Jayant Patil. A brief meeting about Solapur and Madha seats will take place on April 16," Sharad Pawar said.

Meanwhile, earlier, Sharad Pawar had on Thursday countered Ajit Pawar's appeal to Baramati voters to elect the "daughter-in-law of the Pawars" with an "original" versus "outsider" comment, the PTI had eaarlier reported.

Ajit Pawar had recently asked people to vote for his wife Sunetra Pawar in the Lok Sabha polls as they had "voted for the father (Sharad Pawar), son (himself) and daughter (sitting MP Supriya Sule)".

Sunetra Pawar is pitted against Sule in Baramati.

(with PTI inputs)