Pawar busy playing cricket when farmers are committing suicide: Modi

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi criticised Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar on Tuesday for being involved in matters related to cricket, when the nation's farmers were committing suicide.

"The number of farmers, who have committed suicide in the country, is more than the people who have died fighting wars, but the agriculture minister of this country does not care about that. Farmers are dying everyday, and he is busy playing cricket," said Modi.

"Delhi needs a stable government. We have suffered a lot of loss. In the past ten years, the country has been ruined. Lal Bahadur Shashtri used the slogan of 'Jai Jawan Jai Kisan' but the mother (Congress President Sonia Gandhi) and son (Vice President Rahul Gandhi) are using 'Mar Jawan Mar Kisan' as their slogan," he said.

He further said that people from backward classes have been fighting a battle everyday for social justice but the present government has done nothing about it.

"People from backward classes are fighting for social justice everyday, but they never gave you any rights, any justice. They have disappointed you. Now, you have to get justice for yourself by not voting for them," Modi said.

"The kind of love that you are giving me, I promise that it will not go in vain. I will never disappoint you. I will get you social justice," he added.

He also said the Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan did not know how to run a government.

"Why do you have to go to Gujarat to sell cotton? I want to ask the chief minister of this state, why isn't he doing something for them?" asked Modi.

"I opened banks for the farmers of Gujarat to make the process of selling and buying cotton more convenient but he cannot even take such small steps to ensure the wellbeing of the people. He does not know how to run a government," he said.

"You have given Congress a chance for 60 years and what have they done. They have only disappointed you and ruined the country. I ask you to give me a period of 60 months and I will never disappoint you," he added.