Sharad Pawar, the leader of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), has expressed astonishment at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s use of “religious” slogans during the election campaign in Karnataka, which will be decided on May 10.
Pawar told a local television outlet that bringing up a religion or religious problem during an election generates a different sort of atmosphere and is not a positive thing.
The NCP leader said that the Congress would take power in Karnataka while speaking to media in Pandharpur Temple Town earlier on Sunday.
When we run for office, we swear an oath to uphold democratic principles and secularism, Pawar said to TV9 Marathi.
“I am taken aback by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s use of religious rhetoric during the Karnataka Assembly elections campaign. Secularism is a notion that we embrace. It is not a good idea to bring up religion or religious issues during an election because it generates a different kind of atmosphere, he added.
The NCP leader was asked about the current protest in Barsu village in Maharashtra’s Ratnagiri district, where some residents are protesting a massive oil refinery project, and he said he was interested in going but would decide when and how when he had the opportunity.
“I met with members of the Barsu villager community. I’ll have another meeting with the professionals. I believe that the matter should be advanced by consulting the residents,” he stated.