All doors shut on Ajit: Pawar

Senior opposition leader Sharad Pawar on Friday accused Narendra Modi of "dividing" the society himself by his comments and stressed that he will have no association with those allied with the BJP, thus ruling out the possibility of a post-poll reunion with his estranged nephew Ajit Pawar.

- Kumar Rakesh

In an interview with PTI, Pawar, considered the architect of the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) in Maharashtra, said the ruling Mahayuti has been using a "tremendous amount of monetary resources", including through cash transfer schemes, to influence the polls, following its poor show in the state in the general elections.

But people will reject them, he asserted.

He was also blistering in his criticism of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, whose "bantengain to katen gain" slogan has drawn sniggers from even some BJP leaders and allies like Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar.

The Nationalist Congress Party (SP) president said, "He (Adityanath) is known for these communal analogies. Why give him importance? I don't want to utter even one sentence about him. These are the people who wear saffron clothes and perpetrate communalism. They are doing a disservice to the nation." Asked about Modi's extensive campaign in which he accused the opposition of dividing the society on caste lines, Pawar hit back.