’Confusion among Indian govt on Palestine issue,’ says Sharad Pawar amid Israel-Gaza conflict

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Sharad Pawar on Saturday questioned the stand of the Indian government on the Israel-Gaza conflict. Pawar said, "...there is confusion among the Indian government on the Palestine issue. India's policy was to support Palestine, not Israel. Thousands of people are dying (in Palestine) and India never supported it. So there is confusion in the present government...".

Further, he hit back at PM Modi's statement on his tenure as agricultural minister.

He said that the post of the prime minister is significant therefore a PM should give a statement keeping his constitutional stature in mind.

Pawar said he is unaware of why he was targeted by PM Modi during an event in Maharashtra.

"Whatever statement PM had made on me, I will respond to that keeping the importance and dignity of PM post," the NCP party founder said.

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Pawar also claimed that the fear of losing power might have pushed the PM to make such comments.

"He (PM) was there to seek Darshan of Sai Baba in Shirdi, what was the need to take Darshan of Sharad Pawar there? If you see the nationwide picture, there are a lot of states where the BJP is not in power or either their government has come after some sabotage in other parties. And wherever there is a BJP government, they are on weak foot. This weakness and fear of losing power may have forced him (PM) to make such statements," Pawar added.

On the upcoming state assembly elections in various states, the NCP chief said that the situation is not in favor of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

"In assembly polls, I am seeing such a picture that BJP is not getting the desired support. I have not assessed for Lok Sabha polls yet. In the five assembly elections, I am seeing a picture against BJP. I can't say that everywhere governments will change," he said.
 

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Earlier on 15 October, 2023, while addressing a public gathering of party workers in Mumbai, the NCP supremo said that the role of former Prime Ministers of India was "to help Palestine".

"The role of Jawaharlal Nehru, Rajiv Gandhi, Indira Gandhi, Atal Bihari Vajpayee was to help Palestine. For the first time, the Prime Minister of this country took the role of Israel. The stand of the NCP should be clear. We stand by the people who originally belonged to that land," Pawar said