"The drought had badly hit Maharashtra, triggering a severe scarcity of fodder for animals. I had asked some animal feed companies in the country to supply fodder. Some firms in Gujarat had supplied fodder to Maharashtra then. But the Gujarat government ordered an inquiry against those companies," he said.
"I feel that a person who is projected as prime minister, his government takes the stance to prosecute organisations which helped Maharashtra.... What will the country expect of him," he said, adding "let the people of India know how he (Modi) looks at those who help others in distress."
"Maharashtra rushes to help anywhere there is a natural calamity. There were floods in Morbi in Gujarat and we helped the affected. Similarly, Gujarat helped in latur earthquake relief," Pawar said.
The contribution of Gujarati community in that state's development cannot be ignored and not everything is due to one individual's efforts, Pawar said, in a veiled attack on Modi.
The growth rate in Gujarat was 16.76 per cent under Chimanbhai Patel but fell to 9.35 per cent under Modi, he said. The FDI in Maharashtra was Rs 2.64 lakh crore but in Gujarat it was Rs 36000 crore, he added.
To a query on the Election Commission saying it was not satisfied with his explanation over his controversial statement asking people to vote twice, Pawar said, "I don't have anything more to say on this."
Meanwhile, Marathi daily Lok Satta today quoted Pawar as saying in an interview that BJP will emerge as the single largest party after the Lok Sabha polls.
While Congress will come second, (the parties led by) Jayalalithaa and Mamata Banerjee will vie for third position, the veteran politician predicted.
He also said Narendra Modi would not become the Prime Minister.
"For the next 10-15 years, coalition governments will continue. Regional parties will get stronger over the years. Now there is no consensus over any one leader (for PM's post). Modi won't become the PM. NCP is a small party and hence I am not in the race," Pawar said in the interview.
