After Tariq Anwar, NCP’s Munaf Hakim Resigns, Says ‘Difficult to Defend Party’s Image After Pawar Backed PM’

Earlier on Wednesday, Pawar, while speaking to a television channel had said that people "do not have doubts" over Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intentions (in the Rafale deal).

Written by: India.com News Desk

Updated: September 28, 2018, 10:01 PM IST

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https://www.india.com/news/india/after-tariq-anwar-ncps-munaf-hakim-resigns-says-difficult-to-defend-partys-image-after-pawar-backed-pm-3353214/ Copy

Sharad Pawar

Mumbai: Hours after senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Lok Sabha MP Tariq Anwar resigned from the party, Munaf Hakim, NCP’s general secretary also quit the primary membership of the party saying it was “difficult” to defend its image after Sharad Pawar “supported” Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Rafale jet deal.

Hakim, a former chairman of the Maharashtra State Minorities Commission, said that he was following another party colleague, Lok Sabha MP Tariq Anwar, by resigning and added that more NCP workers might follow suit.

“Sharad Pawar has never supported fundamental forces. How can he say Narendra Modi is not guilty in the Rafale case in the minds of the public? A JPC probe has not yet been set up,” Hakim said, adding,”Tariq Anwar is one of the founder members of the party. He was not consulted while making an important stand of the party public (on Rafale). In such a case, it is difficult to defend the party’s image after Pawar saheb supported Modi in the Rafale case.”

Earlier on Wednesday, Pawar, while speaking to a television channel had said that people “do not have doubts” over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s intentions (in the Rafale deal). “I don’t think people have doubts about Modi’s intentions personally,” Pawar had told the news channel.

Following his statement, NCP senior leader Tariq Anwar on Friday said that he had resigned from the party and Parliament (Katihar Lok Sabha seat).

“Our (NCP) national president Sharad Pawar indirectly gave a clean chit to PM, in a statement on Rafale deal. The Prime Minister is completely involved in the deal. The Opposition is demanding constitution of JPC for a probe in it. I’m upset with his statement,” Anwad had said.

However, NCP MP and Sharad Pawar’s daughter Supriya Sule came in support of her father and said that his comment on the Prime Minister Modi and the Rafale deal have been misunderstood. In a series of tweets, she said it was “disappointing” that the issues raised by Pawar in an interview to a Marathi channel regarding the Rafale fighter jet deal were ignored.