Ram temple, not farmers, is BJP's top priority: NCP chief Sharad Pawar

Mumbai: National Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar has attacked the Narendra Modi government at the Centre for failing to address the legitimate concerns of the farmers of the country and formulate right policies for them.

The veteran NCP leader said this while addressing a gathering in Mumbai on Monday during which he said that in spite of discussing the issues being faced by the farmers, Ram temple has become the top priority of the ruling BJP dispensation.

Pawar also went on to even accuse the Modi government of diverting people's attention from genuine issues and attempting to divide the nation on religious lines. 

"Be it loan waiver or other policies, this government failed in formulating right policies for farmers. Today problems faced by farmers are not being addressed, only Ram temple is being discussed. This government has worked towards diverting people's attention. We have to be aware of this," he said.

Pawar had earlier courted a controversy for giving a clean chit to the Narendra Modi government over the Rafale fighter jet deal signed between India and France.

However, his daughter and NCP MP Supriya Sule later clarified that her father's statement was misconstrued. She categorically said that the senior NCP did not give a clean chit to PM Modi over the multi-crore Rafale deal.  

Sule also demanded a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the controversial Rafale fighter jet deal.

In a series of tweets, Sule also claimed that it was "disappointing" that the issues raised by her father Sharad Pawar regarding the Rafale fighter jet deal were ignored.

It’s disappointing that people have not heard @PawarSpeaks Saheb where he has clearly raised three questions:
1) what is the justification for a 300 percent price increase from Rs. 526 crores to Rs. 1,670 crores which potentially could be a significant loss to the exchequer? — Supriya Sule (@supriya_sule) 28 September 2018

Sule questioned if the Narendra Modi government is so confident of facts then why is it shying away from a JPC probe into the deal?.

2) If such doubts have been raised and the government is so confident, then why are they shying from setting up a JPC? — Supriya Sule (@supriya_sule) 28 September 2018

Hitting out at the ruling dispensation, the Congress party said that Sharad Pawar's 'clean chit' to PM Narendra Modi is a BJP conspiracy.