Situation in country not favourable for BJP ahead of Lok Sabha polls: Sharad Pawar

Shirdi, Jan 4 (PTI) Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) founder Sharad Pawar on Thursday asserted the political situation in the country is not favourable for the BJP ahead of the Lok Sabha polls and pooh-poohed the saffron outfit's claim of winning more than 400 seats, saying it is out of power in several states.

Addressing NCP workers at a party conclave in the temple town of Shirdi in western Maharashtra's Ahmednagar district, he said after assuming power at the Centre in 2014, the BJP announced several programmes and gave a host of assurances, but did not implement them and "cheated" people.

People have now started realising this, stated the former Union minister.

"The situation in the country is not favourable for the BJP," said Pawar, whose party is a constituent of the national-level opposition INDIA alliance.

The Rajya Sabha member said BJP leaders have set a target of winning more than 400 Lok Sabha seats, out of the total 543, but the party is currently not in power in several states.

The BJP is out of power in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Delhi, Punjab, West Bengal, Bihar and Jharkhand, he pointed out.

Taking a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the former Union agriculture minister said assurances were made that farmers' income will be doubled by 2022 and those without 'pucca' (concrete) houses will get one in urban areas, but these promises remain unfulfilled.

Modi had assured that by 2024-25 India will become a USD 5 trillion economy, but it is not even 50 per cent of that, Pawar said, adding the PM just gives "guarantees".

"But the guarantee is not fulfilled. This has been observed many times," said the veteran politician.

Pawar maintained the younger generation is feeling uneasy because of unemployment and referred to the December 13 Parliament security breach involving a group of people.

"When our MPs sought to know what were their (those involved in security breach incident) demands and pressed for a statement from the prime minister and the home minister, opposition members were suspended," he stated.

The NCP founder said fuel prices have become unaffordable for common citizens. PTI