Section of people projecting it's their right to attack others: Sharad Yadav lashes at BJP

PUNE: Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar on Friday launched an attack on Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) while addressing a public rally in Pune.

“If there's power in someone's hands he must see how to maintain harmony&lead others to development. Today there's absence of it. We see people getting attacked, sometimes Muslims, sometimes Christians. Section of people project as if it's their right to attack others,” said Pawar.

Raking up Mumbai BJP MP Gopal Shetty's controversial statement, the NCP chief added, “A minister said that Christians did not contribute to the freedom struggle. He should be ashamed of himself. Congress contributed a lot to the struggle for freedom and Annie Besant was a significant name in Congress.”

The BJP leader had on Sunday claimed that it was only the Hindus and the Muslims who played a role in India's freedom struggle and not the Christians. 

"Christians were British, hence they didn’t participate in the freedom movement. India was not freed by Hindus or Muslims, we fought as one, as Hindustanis for our independence," Shetty can be heard as saying in the video. Shetty stepped down from his post on Friday. 

Pawar also raked the issued of former Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif's sentencing. 

“Look at our neighbour Pakistan. Their former PM Nawaz Sharif was sent to jail for 10 years today. Such is the situation around India today. So it is our responsibility to see that we maintain harmony and keep all elements spreading hatred, at bay,” he said.

Sharif was sentenced to 10 years in jail in a corruption case by Pakistan's accountability court on Friday. His daughter Maryam was also given a seven-year jail term while son-in-law Captain (Retd) Safdar received one-year prison sentence.