"I am not an astrologer... So I cannot say who the PM was referring to."
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's comment that a 'bhatakti atma' (wandering soul) is creating problems in Maharashtra for 45 years seems to have spooked both Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar as also the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) on Tuesday.
Addressing his maiden Lok Sabha rally in Pune on Monday evening, the Prime Minister said that "there is a 'bhatakti atma' in Maharashtra... When it is not successful, it ruins the good work of others. The state is a victim of it".
Without taking names, PM Modi added: "The game was started by the same leader 45 years ago... It was just because of his self-ambitions that Maharashtra has remained politically unstable. Due to that, many CMs could not complete their full terms."
The PM's comments triggered a guessing game as he did not identify the 'bhatakti atma', and this led to fingers being pointed at Nationalist Congress Party (SP) President Sharad Pawar, a political veteran of over 55 years, and his nephew and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) President Ajit Pawar, politicking for nearly 45 years now.
A visibly annoyed Ajit Pawar told mediapersons on Tuesday that at his next meeting, he would seek a clarification from PM Modi as to who exactly he was implying as the 'bhatakti atma'.
"I am not an astrologer... So I cannot say who the PM was referring to. But during our next rally, I shall ask him who is this 'bhatakti atma' he spoke about and what was the reason behind it," Ajit Pawar said.
Meanwhile, the MVA leaders attacked the Prime Minister for his remarks with state Congress President Nana Patole, NCP (SP) national spokesperson Clyde Crasto, and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief spokesperson and MP Sanjay Raut leading the charge.
"That 'bhatakti atma' is the Prime Minister himself... He has been restless for the past 10 years. Show a single PM from the past who has always been in a campaign mode like PM Modi, changing clothes and organising photo sessions, and going around everywhere," Patole said in a swipe at the PM.
Crasto said, "When a person who has made India's future go astray for the past 10 years blames someone else as a 'bhatakti atma', it's indeed laughable."
Raut dismissively said that the 'bhatakti atma' is PM Modi himself, which has been roaming around all over the state for the past few days.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)