Jalna, Maharashtra:
As the polls draw closer, the verbal war between politicians has intensified. Nationalist Congress Party or NCP chief
Sharad Pawar has slammed BJP's prime ministerial candidate
Narendra Modi for his Congress Mukt Bharat (free India of Congress) slogan, saying it is because of Congress' ideology, that the country got freedom. In a scathing attack on Mr Modi, the NCP chief said he needs to be treated in a hospital for "talking rubbish."
"Someone who hasn't done anything for the country's, society's benefit is today talking of ridding the country of the Congress. Something has happened to him. Let the elections get over, we'll defeat him and then get him treated at a good hospital," the Union Agriculture Minister said at a rally at Ghanswangi in Maharashtra.
Attacking Mr Modi for 2002 communal riots in Gujarat, Mr Pawar said, "Members of minority community and Congress ex-MP Ehsan Jafri were killed in Gulbarg society, which is only 20 km from Ahmedabad where the carnage happened, but Modi neither visited the victims' family nor bothered about them."
He also added that Mr Modi is "dangerous for the country."
The Agriculture Minister also alleged that the BJP's prime ministerial candidate is not bothered about the problems of rain and hailstorm affected people in Maharashtra.
The attack by Mr Pawar came just hours after Mr Modi said the Agriculture Minister has time to talk on cricket but has been "unable to save" farmers. Mr Modi said that Mr Pawar had done little to save the farmers in the belt, which has seen a spate of suicides by farmers, and asked the voters to free India and Maharashtra of NCP. (
Read: Narendra Modi slams Sharad Pawar for farmer suicides in Maharashtra)
"The Agriculture Minister is from here, yet he is unable to save farmers. He has time to talk on cricket but not for dying farmers. Let us have a NCP free India and Maharashtra," he said while addressing an election rally in Amravati in Maharashtra.