Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and Lok Sabha MP Supriya Sule slammed the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for stoking Hindutva ideologue Vinayak Damodar Savarkar’s issue as the very party that was “selective in its agitations, hoodwinking the public to capitalise on political emotions”.
She asked where the BJP had been when the former Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Kohsyari had repeatedly “insulted” the Maratha warrior king Chhatrapati Shivaji, social reformers Jyotirao Phule and B.R. Ambedkar, and said that no one should become a prisoner of the past while being open to evolving situation.
“Why didn’t they do yatras for Shivaji Maharaj, Ambedkar or Phule? They should have taken out rallies against [Mr. Koshyari]. That means that have agreed to those statements. It doesn’t work like that. We must be respectful to everyone who contributed to India, despite having our own difference, and BJP have selectively done this,” Ms. Sule said.
In a conversation with The Hindu, the three-time Lok Sabha MP pointed out that the ruling BJP was only focusing on issues on the sidelines rather than hitting at the core. She said issues like unemployment, inflation, the spike in oil prices and LPG, and medical devices required immediate attention to alleviate the suffering of the masses.
“They [the BJP] are prevaricating over the issues that concern the common man the most. Why aren’t we again focusing on what is more important right now? It is far more alarming. We have to realise what is relevant in our lives. Right now, all this is very important and at the same time respecting everybody, too,” Ms. Sule said.
ALSO READ | Sanjay Raut accuses BJP of planning to foment communal riots in Maharashtra ahead of polls
Asked about a possible solution to the rift between the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Congress in the backdrop of NCP chief and her father Sharad Pawar brokering a peace deal, Ms. Sule said time alone can say and level up things.
Stating that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification as a Lok Sabha member was “very unfortunate”, she said that it was unbelievable the way Ministers and MPs in the Treasury Benches “scream and shout”.
“Unfortunately, they [the ruling party] have not been that interactive. The way their Ministers and MPs scream and shout is unbelievable. It is something new that I have never seen,” she said.
“What happened to Potato Onion and Tomato (POT) scheme? What happened to the cost stabilisation fund for farmers? When POT was introduced, everyone welcomed it. But now, potatoes and onions are thrown out on the road,” Ms. Sule said.
When asked about her cousin and Leader of the Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Ajit Pawar going into a defensive mode when it came to taking on the ruling regime, and especially Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, she said every person had his or her own way of functioning.
