Sharad Pawar says country needs a trustworthy alternative to BJP-led government, meet Nitish Kumar on May 11

Sharad Pawar will hold a meeting with Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on May 11. Pawar said India needs an alternative to the BJP-led government that people can trust.

Solapur:Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar on Monday said he would meet Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on May 11 while adding that the country needs an alternative to the existing BJP-led government that is trustworthy.

"I will meet Nitish Kumar on May 11. Our outlook is that the country has to be given an alternative to the current BJP-led government that people can trust," Pawar said in Solapur.

Pawar also hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for giving religious slogans when he was campaigning in Karnataka that will go for polls on May 10. He said when one talks about a religious issue then a different kind of environment is created that is not desirable. "It is surprising that the PM gave religious slogans during election campaigning. When such religious issues are taken up during campaigning then it creates a different environment that is not good," he added.

After visiting Pandharpur and Sangola, Pawar arrived at Solapur yesterday to attend a wedding ceremony. He interacted with workers and office-bearers at Balaji Sarovar in the city today. He is scheduled to visit Nipani in Karnataka to campaign for his party candidate in the elections on May 10. This is the first tour of the NCP president after his resignation episode.

A conflict between NCP and its ally Congress over the Solapur parliamentary seat had recently come to the fore after a poster depicting 'NCP versus Congress' had surfaced here. When asked about this, Pawar said, "We will sit together and discuss with all the parties in Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) over the issue. It is not appropriate to discuss this at the moment". "Don't worry, everything is fine," Pawar said responding on MVA.

Pawar said he has started his tour with Solapur and Kolhapur. "There is a great enthusiasm among party workers in these two cities. I came to Solapur because it is a city that gives energy," he said.

Meanwhile, political speculations are rife over Pawar's daughter Supriya Sule getting the post of NCP president. Pawar, however, clarified the issue in Pandharpur on Sunday. He said that Supriya had told that she is not ready to take any new responsibility at the moment. She will instead focus on the 2024 elections, Pawar said adding that no major responsibility will be given to her (Supriya Sule) before 2024.

Also, he said that Congress will come to power in Karnataka.