Sharad Pawar questions if Modi has mandate for third term as PM; slams his poll statements

The NCP(SP) chief also spoke about PM Modi calling him a ‘bhatakti aatma’ (wandering restless soul) and said ‘it is good, since the soul is eternal and this soul will not spare you.’

With Prime Minister Narendra Modi taking the oath of office for a historic third successive term, NCP (SP) president Sharad Pawar sought to know whether he had the mandate to lead the country.

The saffron party fell short of majority in the just-concluded Lok Sabha elections and had to take support of its allies to form the new coalition government at the Centre, he noted on Monday.

The senior politician was speaking at a party congregation in Ahmednagar, around 125 km from Pune, on the occasion of the NCP's 25th foundation day where newly-elected party MPs were felicitated.

"Narendra Modi took the oath as Prime Minister (on June 9). But before taking the oath, did he have the mandate of the country? Did the people of the country give him consent? They (BJP) did not have a majority. They had to take the help of the Telugu Desam Party and Bihar Chief Minister (Nitish Kumar)....because of them he could form the government," Mr. Pawar said.

The former Union minister also remarked that the new BJP-led NDA government was different from the earlier ones.

"During the election period, PM Modi, wherever he went (for campaigning), did not refer to the government as 'Government of India'...it used to be called Modi Sarkar, Modi's guarantee. Today that Modi guarantee is no longer there. Today it is no longer a Modi Sarkar. Today, because of your vote, they have to say this is not a Modi Sarkar, it is the Government of India. Today because of you, they have to take a different approach," Mr. Pawar told the gathering, referring to the Lok Sabha poll results.

The post of PM is of the country and not of a particular party, he said, adding the incumbent must think of all segments of society, castes and creeds.