Will be happy to unite Opposition against BJP: NCP chief Sharad Pawar

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on Monday said that he would be happy to play a key role in cementing Opposition unity at the national level against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Pawar said Opposition parties need to understand public sentiment and come together against the BJP-led government. The NCP chief added that he would be happy to bring the Opposition together, while referring to the results of the recently held bypolls for 10 Lok Sabha seats in which BJP faced defeat in nine.

“Those who are against the BJP and believe in democracy and equal rights should seriously consider coming together. I would be glad to join the process of bringing the Opposition leaders together on one platform,” Pawar said, indicating that this is the best time for the Opposition to unite against the BJP.

The 2019 general elections are being seen as the 77-year-old veteran leader’s last chance at playing a significant role in central polity. He has been seen making a clear shift away from the BJP towards the Congress in the past few months.

This February, he praised Congress president Rahul Gandhi for portending “ache din” for the Congress. Recently, the NCP chief was also seen at the swearing-in ceremony of Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy.

Meanwhile, the former Union agriculture minister also extended his support to the on-going nation-wide farmers’ strike led by Rashtriya Kisaan Mahasangh (RKM) and appealed to farmers to distribute food grains and milk to the needy and downtrodden as part of their protest instead of wasting them on streets.

“The Narendra Modi-led BJP government is doing nothing on farmers’ issues because of which farmers are on the streets. It’s time for the society the society to stand by them,” said Pawar.