At a time when ministers in the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress government in Maharashtra are facing fire from central investigating agencies, former Rajya Sabha member and Nationalist Congress Party leader Majeed Memon on Monday appeared to praise Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"If Narendra Modi wins people's mandate and is also shown as world's most popular leader, there must be some qualities in him or good work he may have done which the opposition leaders are unable to find," he said in remarks that have raised eyebrows.
Memon told PTI that the opposition should introspect why Modi keeps getting such a "positive mandate" and dismissed suggestions of manipulation of EVMs, an oft-repeated complaint of the Congress and other political parties.
"Opposition must find out why he is returning with a majority of people's mandate time and again. Why is he considered as the number one leader in the world? He must be doing something which we may not have been able to identify," said Memon, who was a member of the Rajya Sabha between 2014 and 2020.
"What is the secret of this man getting so much positive support from the people? Why are people not understanding that this NDA government is destroying the Constitution of India, destroying the concept of liberty, creating hatred," said Memon, who continues to be associated with Sharad Pawar's NCP.
"Why are people not understanding this? What good has he done? It is the duty of the opposition to go to the bottom of the matter," he said.
Memon said while Modi has been claiming to have built toilets, providing electricity to several homes, and constructing roads, the ruling BJP has also "created hatred among neighbours, spread animosity among religions and not treated people equally as mandated by the Constitution".
"Are people happy with this," he asked.
"Despite trying to impose uniform civil code, high inflation, so much unrest, why is he getting a positive mandate," Memon wondered.
A leading criminal lawyer, Memon has held the legal brief for leading personalities, including politicians, film stars and human rights activists among others.
He also defended several suspects in the 1993 Mumbai blast case and also held the brief for Yakub Memon, who was convicted and given capital punishment for his involvement in the terror act.
