Lok Sabha Elections 2024: What’s behind PM’s asli-nakli googly?

Despite them slamming him left right and centre as well as predicting doom for him on June 4 Prime Minister Narendra Modi would still love to have Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar in the National Democratic Alliance NDAModi made an offer to this effect on Friday asking Thackeray and Pawar the respective heads of the Sena and NCP factions to join NDA through their lsquoaslirsquo parties Shinde Sena and Ajit Pawarrsquos NCP instead of merging with CongressThe offer came at the PMs rally in Nandurbar in Maharashtra on Friday in the wake of Pawarrsquos statement that many regional parties would go closer to Congress or merge with the national party after the Lok Sabha electionsNCP SP chief Sharad Pawar PICANURAG AHIREldquoThe lsquonakli NCPrsquo and lsquonakli Shiv Senarsquo have decided to merge with Congress I would say that supporting us and winning is better than supporting Congress and losing after June 4 go with our Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawarrdquo said the PM evoking strong reactions from Pawar and Congress leaders The PMrsquos Friday speech was yet another talking point following his query about whether Adani and Ambani had a black money deal with the Congress to buy Rahul Gandhirsquos silence What AgainModis public offer to Thackeray and Pawar raised many eyebrows in political circles which wanted to know why Modi would be interested in the parties which according to him were fake and the leaders who according to him had lost their influence and dominance According to Pawarrsquos nephew Ajit his uncle had backtracked at least twice in the past after agreeing to join the BJP government In this context the PMrsquos offer confused voters even more The voters are already perplexed because of unexpected alliances and party splits Currently such is the situation that the enemies of the past have become friends The abuser is the praiser But the voters are still there holding their ground and feeling the unforeseen melee They have waited for their turn to express themselves through ballots to decide who is lsquonaklirsquo fake and who is lsquoaslirsquo real They will go out to vote when half the seats in Maharashtra 2448 go to polls on May 13 and 20No nay neverRejecting the offer Pawar said the countryrsquos parliamentary democracy was under threat because of Modi He cited the arrests of the Delhi and Jharkhand CMs ahead of polls to substantiate his claim State Congress president Nana Patole said the offer confirmed the BJPrsquos defeat ldquoThe voters have not responded to the BJPrsquos HinduMuslim politics It is ignominious of the PM to make an offer to those he had been criticisingrdquo added PatoleState Congress president Nana Patole at a rally in Sakoli Bhandara on April 13 PICSATEJ SHINDEThackerayrsquos associate Sanjay Raut said that the BJP wasnrsquot expected to cross a 200seat mark in Lok Sabha and Modi would need the support from others to form a government ldquoThe BJPrsquos allies will not win even two or three seats whereas Thackeray and Pawar will win the most Modi is trying to be good to them in anticipation of help But we will not fall for Modi because going with him is suicidal for the countryrdquo he said