Pawar accuses PM Modi of not attending political party meet after Pulwama attack

NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Sunday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of not attending a meeting of political parties convened by the government after the Pulwama terror attack and instead addressing a rally in Maharashtra.

"Neither the Prime Minister nor the Defence Minister were present in the meeting after the Pulwama attack. We got to know that he (PM) was in Maharashtra and campaigning for his party's candidates," he said during a public meeting in Chakan in Pune district.

"The Prime Minister said at a rally in Yavatmal (Maharashtra) not to worry about the country's security which was in his hands. He said that he has a 56-inch chest. If he has a 56-inch chest then what was that 56-inch chest doing in Yavatmal. He was making such statements from there," Pawar said.

The NCP leader urged all the political parties to come together to fight against BJP in the Lok Sabha polls.

"I urge all the political parties to come together and avoid the splitting of votes which will benefit BJP," he said.

On farmers' suicide in the state, the former Union Minister said, "There are many questions before the country. BJP had given many assurances. Since Devendra Fadnavis became the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, the state has witnessed more than 12,000 farmers' suicide. Such cases across is much more than this."

Pawar said "We had waived Rs 71,000 crore loans of farmers at once. Today, the state government says it has waived loan of farmers. If you check the records with the banks, you will get to know that not even 50 per cent of farmers received the benefits of farm-loan waiver," he added.