Veteran politician Sharad Pawar on Saturday in a veiled jibe at Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government, said that efforts were being made to divert people’s attention from real issues by engaging them in “temple politics” and dividing the masses on the basis of religion and caste.

Addressing the foundation day of the Hind Mazdoor Sabha in Maharashtra’s Nashik, the Nationalist Congress Party chief claimed that the BJP-ruled Centre’s current economic policy was responsible for the plight of Marathi-speaking textile mill workers in Mumbai.

Pawar said that rulers are not interested in resolving people’s problems but instead attempts are being made to divide the masses along caste and religious lines and divert their attention with “temple politics”.

The senior leader claimed that government was trying to weaken labour unions and make them dependent on the rulers as he urged workers across the country to unite for securing their future.

Sharad Pawar, who was the chief guest on the occasion of the platinum jubilee of Hind Mazdoor Sabha’s foundation day, also took a veiled dig at Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s Ayodhya visit, saying that attempts were being made to divert people’s attention from real issues by engaging them in temple politics.

Pawar rued that Mumbai, which was once considered India’s industrial capital, does not have that distinction anymore as there are no more workers to run the industries.

Recently, Sharad Pawar, in complete contrast to his allies’ stand, backed embattled industrialist Gautam Adani saying that the damning report published by US-based short seller Hindenburg Research against the Adani Group “seems targeted.”

In an interview, Pawar said that the Adani issue was blown out of proportion in the Parliament which led to a complete washout of the second leg of the Budget Session as hardly any business was conducted.

The senior leader said that whenever such an issue is given too much importance, the cost is borne by the country’s economy and as such it seems the report against the Adani Group was “targeted”, adding that it seems that a single individual business group of a country was targeted to further an agenda.

In complete contrast to his other Opposition allies, including the Congress, who have been adamantly demanding a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the Adani issue, the veteran politician in an interview with NDTV said that he does not agree with other allies on this matter.

A Madhya Pradesh minister has backed BJP National General Secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya’s controversial remarks wherein he equated “badly dressed” women to the demoness Surpanakha from the Hindu epic Ramayana.

On Saturday, Usha Thakur, the Minister for Culture and Tourism in the Shivraj Chouhan-led BJP regime in Madhya Pradesh, came out in support of Vijayvargiya contentious comments and said that a person who doesn’t follow Vedic Sanatan tradition then he or she becomes a vessel for demons and will be called Rakshas Pravriti (characteristics of demons).

Recently, Kailash Vijayvargiya, who is no stranger to controversies, courted yet another row last week with his latest remarks saying that girls who are dressed “vulgarly” look like Shurpanakha— the evil sister of Ravana, the villain from Hindu epic Ramayana.

Speaking at a religious ceremony in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore to mark the Mahavir and Hanuman Jayanti, the senior BJP leader said Indians thinks of women as goddesses but the girls who wear “such bad clothes” don’t look like Devi (goddess), but resemble the demoness Shurpanakha.

Vijayvargiya also urged women to respect their body by wearing “nice clothes” and also advised parents to teach children such values. He said that whenever he sees young people roaming drunk at night, he feels an urge to slap them to sober them up.

The BJP leader’s remarks drew sharp criticism from the Opposition who lambasted Vijayvargiya for using “indecent words” and saying that BJP has forgotten dignity after gaining power.

Reacting to Vijayvargiya’s comments, Women Congress President, Vibha Patel asked the BJP national general secretary to pay attention to what he says.

Patel noted that women in today’s era are paving and leading the way in every field and have the freedom to eat, drink and wear whatever they want and while there should be decorum in the way women dress, leaders should also take care before making undignified comments.

Defending the BJP veteran, party spokesperson Neha Bagga claimed that Vijayvargiya’s comments were being highlighted in a distorted manner and the BJP general secretary only intended to say those things like a parent would.

Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Saturday took a swipe at the West Bengal government over the recent clashes during Ram Navami processions, saying that the “culture of violence” has existed in the TMC-ruled state for a long time.

Saha, who attended the Central government-sponsored “Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat” flagship programme in Kolkata on Saturday commented on the recent violence during Ram Navami celebrations in West Bengal saying that it is painful and while everybody wants peace, such culture (of violence) has existed in the Mamata Banerjee-ruled state for a long time.

Last Friday, violence erupted during a Ram Navami rally in West Bengal’s Howrah and two days later, on Sunday evening, two Ram Navami processions in Rishra—one in Rishra police station area and the other near Wellington Jute Mill More on GT Road— reportedly came under attack resulting in clashes between two groups in which some police personnel were also injured.

A PTI report quoting BJP state vice-president Dilip Ghosh, who was part of the rally on GT Road, claimed that the procession was peacefully heading towards the Jagannath temple when it came under attack as a barrage of stones were hurled at the devotees in the rally.

He said that Pursurah BJP MLA Biman Ghosh sustained injuries in the incident.

Reports had said that public and properties were vandalized and vehicles were torched by rioters during the clashes that led to prohibitory orders under Section 144 CrPC being imposed and internet services snapped in Rishra town of Hooghly district.

On Tuesday, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee claimed that BJP hired “gundas” (henchmen) to incite communal violence in the state. She had claimed that the saffron party had hired “goons from Bihar” to incite riots in West Bengal and asserted that the rioters are merely “BJP goons” and do not belong to any religion.

Responding to Banerjee’s allegation Manik Saha said that post-poll violence only applicable in Tripura, where Communist Party of India (Marxist) was ruling, and in West Bengal. He noted that there are BJP governments in other states too but such incidents never happen there, while the Trinamool Congress (TMC) is only in power in West Bengal.