Attacks on Gandhi family did not go well: Pawar

The frequent attacks on the Nehru-Gandhi family and calling Congress president Rahul Gandhi "pappu" has not gone down well with the public, NCP supremo Sharad Pawar said.

"The BJP indulged in a vicious campaign," said Pawar, the statesman-politician who turned 78 on Wednesday.

"People did not like the Congress president being ridiculed regularly," he said.

Analysing the Assembly poll results of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, the NCP chief, who shares excellent relations cutting across party lines, including with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said that people have also not liked the subversion of institutions by the Centre.

"The results mark beginning of a change," he said. "People have chosen the ballot box to pick Congress and have expressed unhappiness with Modi," he said.

Pawar stressed that the Samajwadi Party and BSP must join the Opposition fold before the polls.

On the issue of Shiv Sena's criticism of the BJP, he said that although Uddhav Thackeray is criticising the BJP now, they may yet come together for the 2019 polls.

Asked whether Rahul Gandhi would be chosen as the prime minister candidate of the Opposition, he said: "I am not aware of any such decision".

Pawar also said the Ram temple issue would not make a difference for people in 2019.