india

Updated: Feb 22, 2018 14:57 IST

Taking on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar, on Wednesday, said Congress president Rahul Gandhi has shown a willingness to learn and understand various issues; a leadership quality, he said, that was clearly missing in Modi.

Pawar, while answering questions posed by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray, as a part of a special interview in Pune, said that in the last few years, Gandhi has shown an inclination to reach out to people and understand various issues by visiting various places in the country.

“If Gandhi continues to show these qualities, Congress will have better days ahead,” Pawar said, adding that in the current political scenario, “Only the Congress party can pose a formidable opposition to the BJP, as other parties are small.”

Pawar has in the past, on a number of occasions, expressed his reservations about Rahul Gandhi’s ability to lead the Congress party.

Pawar’s remarks came against the backdrop of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi calling for opposition unity on issues of national importance both inside and outside Parliament, as she chaired a meeting of leaders of 17 non-NDA parties recently in the capital.

Speaking about Modi’s leadership qualities, the NCP president said, the Prime Minister does not seem to believe in working as a team. “The people in power today do not want to work as team, which is necessary to run a country such as India.”

Pawar, while referring to the Prime Minister’s recent speech in parliament where he questioned his predecessor Jawaharlal Nehru’s contribution to inculcating democracy, criticised Modi for launching a personal attack against late Congress leaders.

“It is unfortunate that some people today are launching personal attacks against their political opponents. It is not a good sign, though I believe that this is a transformation phase and things will change.”

The NCP chief also questioned Modi’s inclination towards Gujarat, especially while leading the country.