Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar hastriggered a row with his remark ahead of announcement of Assembly elections inMaharashtra. Speaking to mediapersons, the Maharashtra strongman said thatpeople are angry with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led governmentand only a Pulwama-like attack can turn the tide in their favour.

The former Union minister suggested the anger of people inMaharashtra would harm the prospects of the BJP and a situation similar to whatprevailed after the terror attack on CRPF personnel in Pulwama in Jammu andKashmir could help the ruling alliance.

Talking about other issues concerning the upcomingMaharashtra elections, Pawar said that while was alright with an alliance withRaj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), the Congress was opposed tothe idea.

He further targeted Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis,questioning as to why investigations were not ordered into allegations ofcorruption.Pawar alleged that women were not safe under the BJP-Shiv Senagovernment, pointing that even FIR was not registered in a recent case.

The NCP chief also hit out at Prime Minister NarendraModi-led central government, accusing it of misusing agencies like the CentralBureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate. According toPawar, people were not even aware of such agencies, but since Modi governmentcame to power, they started using pressure mechanism.

The former minister alleged that the Centre had been usingthe agencies to target opposition parties.

The remark referring to Pulwama attack by Pawar is expectedto trigger sharp political reactions from his rivals, including the BJP and theShiv Sena. At least 40 CRPF personnel were killed in a terror attack in Pulwamamonths before Lok Sabha elections 2019.

Following the Pulwama attack, the Indian Air Force carriedout airstrike in Balakot in Pakistan wherein terror camp was destroyed.