Taking the Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh (BBM) leader Prakash Ambedkar head-on, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar on Friday said those who have performed the historic duty of contesting seats to help the BJP are now distributing the certificates of secularism.
This follows Thursday’s statement by Mr. Ambedkar — who last week announced an electoral an alliance with the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) — saying he has no problem in forging an alliance with Congress but is wary of the NCP. “Sharad Pawar is a secular leader, but his party NCP is not,” he had said.
“Had we not been secular, Prakash Ambedkar would not have taken our support in two elections in Akola. May be our workers, who helped incampaigning, were secular then, and are not now,” Mr. Pawar told reporters in Mumbai.
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“I don’t remember the exact year, but his party fielded Neelam Gorhe in one Lok Sabha election against BJP’s Pramod Mahajan only to defeat our candidate. They are now telling us who is secular and who isn’t,” he taunted.
The NCP chief also slammed RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat over his remarks about Muslims in India, where he had said that if Muslims are unwanted, then there is no Hindutva. “Muslims and Christians are also part of this country. They enjoy equal rights as I do. Nobody has to certify it,” said Mr. Pawar.