NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Thursday claimed that during the Maharashtra Assembly elections last year BJP lost the power as Muslims did not vote for it. ''Minorities vote for parties which can defeat BJP. During elections, the minorities decide whom to defeat. In the state, the change of guard which we are seeing is due to that,'' Pawar said at the party's minority cell meeting.
Pawar's statement comes three days after a video of Maharashtra minister and senior Congress leader Ashok Chavan purportedly saying that his party joined the Shiv Sena-led government on "insistence" of the "Muslim community" to stop the BJP from returning to power. Chavan defended his statement saying that he had spoken the truth as BJP slammed Congress.
Pawar led a scathing attack against BJP saying that the saffron party was working to divide the society. He said BJP should not be voted back to power in the country. ''We all should stand together. Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh kept them away now Delhi will also do the same thing. People are telling us that Maharashtra showed the way," he opined.
''BJP is in power and it is the responsibility of the leadership to take all sections of the society together. People in power have made easy way for Hindus, Christian and Sikhs but not for Muslims. Because of Citizenship Amendment Act and National Population Register, certain minorities will get ignored. We have different communities in India,'' said Pawar.
Further, Pawar said the Banjara community which usually doesn't stay at one place, they roam here and there for work. ''How will they prove their citizenship? They don't have any records, their names are not there in the voting list," he added.
Pawar's statement is crucial as his party has launched fresh efforts to reach out to the minorities in a bid to consolidate presence in the state. His meeting with minority cell is to decide a road map in this regard.
Already NCP has launched massive exercise to lure dalits and backward class which were wooed by Prakash Ambedkar led Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi. Pawar and his nephew Ajit Pawar, who is deputy chief minister, separately visited the site of Dr BR Ambedkar memorial in Indu Mill compound at Dadar.
