How can people trust Narendra Modi, asks Sharad Pawar

Alibaug: Launching a blistering attack on BJP Prime ministerial candidate, NCP chief and Union Minister Sharad Pawar on Thursday sought to know how could people trust Narendra Modi, who did not even meet the family of a Congress MP who was allegedly burnt near the Gujarat capital.

"When Modi was Chief Minister, a Congress MP was burnt 20 kms away from state capital but this CM did not even bother to meet the bereaved family. How can such a person assure well-being of the country?" Pawar said.

He was addressing a campaign rally for NCP minister Sunil Tatkare who is contesting the Raigad Lok Sabha seat. "We saw a lot of Lok Sabha polls but right from Nehru's era we have not heard a prime ministerial nominee being declared before polls," Pawar said.

But BJP declared their nominee even before the poll process was set in motion, he said. This tantamount to insult of the constitution, he added.

Whenever Modi goes he says he wants to make India Congress-free. The party is one, which drove out British and made India free, Pawar said.

"What sacrifice did these (BJP) leaders make for the country? And what sacrifice did those in earlier Jan Sangh make for the country? We should not allow these people to succeed," Pawar said.

The food security act has benefited 7.3 crore people in Maharashtra, Pawar said.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan said though the seat sharing formula was decided earlier, Congress and NCP decided to swap Raigad Lok Sabha seat to ensure that the Shiv Sena candidate did not get benefit of division of votes as was the case earlier.

Chavan expressed confidence that the ruling alliance would bag all the 48 seats in the state. The progress achieved by the UPA in last ten years is one, which has never been achieved (by other governments) in the history of the country, Chavan said.

Modi is using marketing techniques imported from other countries and by doing so his "dictatorial tendency" is coming to the fore, the CM said.

He has sidelined seniors like Advani and Jaswant singh, Chavan said.