MUMBAI:

president

on Monday once again questioned the veracity of

even as he asked party workers to shed the rural image of the organisation and prepare for the assembly election. His nephew Ajit Pawar disagreed with him on the EVM issue and questioned the criticism of the machines. The two were speaking at a meeting of party workers on the foundation day of the NCP.

Ajit asked party workers to focus on future elections. "Three months ago the Congress won elections in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, while the TRS formed government in Telangana. In Telangana, the daughter of its chief minister (K Chandrashekhar Rao) lost the Lok Sabha polls. How come the EVM is fine when you get elected and blame it when you lose the poll?" he said.

Ajit maintained that the people had made up their mind to re-elect Narendra Modi as prime minister.

Sharad Pawar exhorted the party to make all-out efforts to bring the urban population into its fold.

"We must strengthen our base in Mumbai. So far, NCP is considered a rural-base political party. We will have to change our image in view of growing urbanisation. We will have to enhance our presence in urban areas, since even talukas too are emerging as urban centres. NCP will have to take up urban issues on top priority," he said.

Pawar said the NCP will have to give opportunities to the new generation.

Pawar expressed concern over the saffronisation of the political system. "Several people facing cases for participating in agitations for the cause of the people will be in the Lok Sabha. Along with them, an accused in the

bomb blast case too will be with us during the Pressident's joint address to the parliament," Pawar said, referring to new Bhopal MP Pragya Singh Thakur.

In his hour-long speech, Pawar asked party workers to make effective use of social media.

Pawar had a dig at Modi too, saying during the Lok Sabha campaign he emphasised nationalism and harped on how his government had taken on Pakistan. "Information given by him was not in national interest, he was stating that our forces will enter their (Pakstani) houses, while after he returned to power he quietly took shelter in a cave," Pawar said.

( With PTI inputs )