People will not tolerate if members fails to honour commitment

Speaking on the stalling of Parliament, NCP leader Sharad Pawar today said people were sensible and wise and they would not tolerate if members were unable to honour their commitment to people for which they have been elected.
"When Indira Gandhi imposed emergency, people defeated the Congress and brought Janata Party to power. But they could not run the country for two years. Thereafter, the same people who defeated Congress unseated the Janata Party and handed over the power to Indira Gandhi," he said while delivering a speech on the occasion of his 75th birth anniversary celebrations here.
"So, people of this country are very sensible. If people like us are not able to honour the commitment to people... people will not tolerate. I have full faith in common people of this country. They are wiser than the politicians," he said.

Pawar said he had appealed to the Parliamentarians to allow it to function smoothly as people have elected them to solve their problems and deliver goods to the nation.
"In Delhi, I made a humble appeal to all Parliamentarians that let us work and let us see the Parliament is functioning. People send us here to perform. People want us to deliver goods. People want to resolve the issues. That is the reason people elect us and send us to the Parliament," he said, adding, "Let us hope that something will happen. The situation will change."
"The political situation is going to such a level. If this (stalling of Parliament) continues, it will affect the fate of the Parliamentary democracy and people of India... And everybody," he said.

"In the last few days, particularly in Rajya Sabha, entire session except one day, could not perform. Sometimes I feel worried, you are sitting in elders house - what message are you giving to the whole state legislatures...And to the Panchayat Raj members," he said.

Pawar said ultimately the responsibility rests with Parliamentarians to preserve the prestige of constitutional institutions including the Parliament, otherwise there will be chaos in the country.
(Reopens BOM2)
Pawar said there is restlessness among a section of the BJP over the individual-centric discourse centred around "me and my word" theme.
He was referring to the BJP poll campaign focused on Fadnavis, who is telling voters to trust his words.

"Many BJP veterans say stalwarts like Vajpayee and Advani were never self-centred like the current lot," the Rajya Sabha MP said.
Pawar said there is considerable resentment among the rural masses over the lacklustre performance of the Fadnavis Government.
Criticising demonetisation, the former Agriculture Minister said the exercise adversely affected the economy and caused hardship to the common man.
Noteban has robbed daily workers of their livelihoods in sectors like powerloom. In Malegaon (a powerloom town in Nashik district), many workers have gone back to their native places due to lack of jobs and financial hardship arising out of the currency recall exercise, he said.

As per the Rural Employment Department figures, there has been a 60 per cent rise in MNERGA works between November and January. This indicates people who lost their jobs post- noteban have taken up MNERGA works, he said.
Pawar, quoting a report, said there has been a 35 per cent job loss in micro and small-scale industries and 50 per cent revenue dip in the manufacturing sector due to the Centre's move to withdraw high-value old currency notes.