Pune: Stating that people with criminal background made a beeline to the BJP ahead of the upcoming polls, NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Tuesday hit out at Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis alleging he accorded a "warm welcome" to such people.

"If you see the qualifications of those who went to BJP, they are accused of murder, attempt to murder and various other grave offences and all these people with such criminal background made a beeline to one party which was BJP.

"And none other than CM, who is responsible for law and order in the state, accorded a warm welcome to all these people," Pawar said addressing a public rally in the city ahead of civic election.

Pawar also took a dig at both BJP and Shiv Sena who are accusing each other of sheltering criminal elements.

"Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray accuses BJP of harbouring goons and criminals and CM Fadnavis calls Shiv Sena a party of extortionists," said Pawar.

He said that even NCP and Congress had differences when they were in power.

"Though we had differences, we never brought them outside but now because of their (Shiv Sena and BJP) rumbling, the growth of the state has stalled," he said.

Expressing concerns about the law and order situation in the state, Pawar lambasted the state government for failing to reach to the real perpetrators behind the murders of rationalist Narendra Dabholkar and Govind Pansare.

He also criticised the Centre over demonetisation and said it was common man and poor people who faced real hardships.

Asserting that NCP in last 10 years did a "phenomenal" job in Pune and accelerated the growth of the city in every section, Pawar appealed people to vote NCP again in the power.