BARAMATI--In October 14, while campaigning for Maharashtra Assembly polls, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had urged residents of Baramati — Sharad Pawar’s home turf — to vote against the NCP and gain freedom from ‘Ghulami of Pawars’.
Four months on, speaking as chief guest at a function organised by the Pawar family in Baramati, Modi praised NCP supremo Pawar, calling him an experienced leader. Aware that this might provide fodder for controversy, Modi said his statements should be seen in the light of a democratic discourse.
“I understand it’s a special day for my friends in the media. They will now compare what I said in the past and what I say now. But we should realise that this is the beauty of democracy. Democracy runs on two parallel tracks — one is dispute (vivad) and other is discourse (samwaad). Sharadrao and I belong to two different political parties, subscribe to two different ideologies, but both of us agree that country comes first and it’s bigger than parties or ideologies,” said Modi
The Indian Express
