First give reservation to women in LS, Assemblies: Sharad Pawar on UCC

The Union government should first introduce reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state Legislative Assemblies before talking about the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code, NCP chief Sharad Pawar said here on Thursday.

Holding a press conference, Pawar also said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had become restless after the Opposition parties' meeting in Patna.

Next meeting will take place at Bengaluru on July 13-14, he informed.

On the UCC debate, he said the NCP will make its stand clear after assessing the suggestions and demands of various communities.

But before that, reservation should be given to women in Assemblies and the Lok Sabha, which is a long-pending demand, the senior leader said.

On Maharashtra deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis's claims about Pawar being privy to the BJP's plans to form government in Maharashtra along with a group of NCP MLAs led by Ajit Pawar in 2019, the senior Pawar said Fadnavis should focus on women's security in the state instead of making such comments.

Manipur "is burning", but the Modi government is not taking any steps to bring the situation under control, the NCP chief said.