<p>Mumbai: Amidst repeated attacks by the prime minister during the 2024 <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/elections">election campaign</a> in Maharashtra, NCP (SP) supremo Sharad Pawar on Thursday said that he had helped Narendra Modi when he was the Gujarat chief minister.</p><p>Modi was the chief minister from 2001-2014 before becoming the prime minister and heading the BJP-led NDA government. </p>.PM Modi's stand can increase communal disharmony: Sharad Pawar.<p>Pawar, a four-time Maharashtra chief minister and ex-defence minister in the PV Narasimha Rao government, was the Union Agriculture Minister in the Dr Manmohan Singh-headed Congress-led UPA government. </p><p>Talking to reporters, Pawar said that he had helped Modi tackle the agrarian crisis when the latter was the chief minister. </p><p>“He used to come to me with the problems of the agriculture sector and even took me to Gujarat. Once he wanted to visit Israel so I took him there. Whatever Modi says now I am not concerned,” said Pawar, the longest-serving Agriculture Minister. </p><p>Modi became the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Israel in July 2017.</p><p>In his rallies, Modi had been attacking Pawar, describing his party as 'nakli NCP' . Modi subtly called Pawar 'bhatakti aatma', without taking his name—the comment that has not gone down well. </p><p>“There is a ‘bhatakti aatma’ in Maharashtr. If it does not manage success it spoils others’ good work. Maharashtra has been a victim of it,” Modi has said in his Pune rally. </p><p>"Previously, under decades of Congress-rule, despite having an Agriculture Minister from Maharashtra, farmers were neglected. Under Congress rule, false promises were made; no resources were distributed to the needy,” he said, hitting out Pawar, in his Nashik rally.</p>
<p>Mumbai: Amidst repeated attacks by the prime minister during the 2024 <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/elections">election campaign</a> in Maharashtra, NCP (SP) supremo Sharad Pawar on Thursday said that he had helped Narendra Modi when he was the Gujarat chief minister.</p><p>Modi was the chief minister from 2001-2014 before becoming the prime minister and heading the BJP-led NDA government. </p>.PM Modi's stand can increase communal disharmony: Sharad Pawar.<p>Pawar, a four-time Maharashtra chief minister and ex-defence minister in the PV Narasimha Rao government, was the Union Agriculture Minister in the Dr Manmohan Singh-headed Congress-led UPA government. </p><p>Talking to reporters, Pawar said that he had helped Modi tackle the agrarian crisis when the latter was the chief minister. </p><p>“He used to come to me with the problems of the agriculture sector and even took me to Gujarat. Once he wanted to visit Israel so I took him there. Whatever Modi says now I am not concerned,” said Pawar, the longest-serving Agriculture Minister. </p><p>Modi became the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Israel in July 2017.</p><p>In his rallies, Modi had been attacking Pawar, describing his party as 'nakli NCP' . Modi subtly called Pawar 'bhatakti aatma', without taking his name—the comment that has not gone down well. </p><p>“There is a ‘bhatakti aatma’ in Maharashtr. If it does not manage success it spoils others’ good work. Maharashtra has been a victim of it,” Modi has said in his Pune rally. </p><p>"Previously, under decades of Congress-rule, despite having an Agriculture Minister from Maharashtra, farmers were neglected. Under Congress rule, false promises were made; no resources were distributed to the needy,” he said, hitting out Pawar, in his Nashik rally.</p>