Join Ajit & Shinde, not Congress: PM Modi to Sharad Pawar, Uddhav Thackeray

New Delhi| Mumbai: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has offered the Sharad Pawar faction of the Nationalist Congress Party and the Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray Sena faction to join the National Democratic Alliance saying, 'all their dreams would be fulfilled'. Modi has said the Congress was a party of racists who discriminated on the basis of colour and were against the Hindu faith.

"A big leader here who is active for 40-50 years is worried after the Baramati Lok Sabha polls...he is so perturbed that he has given a statement, I am sure that he has done this after speaking to people, he is so perturbed that they won't be relevant after June 4 (election results) that according to him after June 4, smaller parties, in order to survive, will merge with the Congress. This means that the fake NCP (Ajit) and Shiv Sena (UBT) have decided to merge with the Congress," Modi said at a rally in Nandurbar, Maharashtra.

"Now I am telling you instead of dying by joining the Congress, come with your heads held high and join hands with Ajit Pawar and Eknath Shinde and all your dreams will be accomplished," Modi said. While Modi did not name Sharad Pawar or Uddhav Thackeray, his statement is being seen as a clear welcome to the two parties to join the NDA alliance.