Social media users found that Sharad Pawar was referring to a poem by Jawahar Rathod. (File)
The Nationalist Congress Party and Congress on Thursday slammed the Maharashtra unit of the BJP for sharing an edited version of NCP chief Sharad Pawar's speech.
The Twitter handle, BJP4Maharashtra, on Wednesday shared a short video of Mr Pawar's speech and claimed that "atheist Sharad Pawar always hated Hindu religion" and he would not have achieved his political success without taking such a stand.
Some social media users pointed out that it was an edited video and Mr Pawar was in fact referring to a poem by Jawahar Rathod which deals with the issue of casteism and untouchability.
NCP leader and state housing minister Jitendra Awhad on Thursday reiterated this and said Maharashtra has a "legacy of defying traditions that enslaved people for over 5,000 years". He said, "Those who criticise Pawar should not forget it."
Congress leader Sachin Sawant said, "The followers of Manu would not understand various saints and their opposition to regressive religious practices. Saints like Tukaram and Janabai explicitly opposed various traditions."
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)