Tariq Anwar quits NCP after Sharad Pawar’s ‘clean chit’ to Modi on Rafale issue

New Delhi, Sep 28: Nationalist Congress Party MP Tariq Anwar has resigned from the party in protest against party president Sharad Pawar's statement defending Prime Minister Modi in the Rafael deal.

"Our (NCP) national president Sharad Pawar indirectly gave a clean chit to PM, in a statement on Rafale deal. PM is completely involved in deal. Opposition is demanding constitution of JPC for probe in it. I'm upset with his statement," Tariq Anwar said after resigning from NCP and as LS MP.

Anwar was a Lok Sabha MP from Katihar in Bihar. He was a prominent face of the NCP and a Muslim leader in Bihar and also the general secretary of the NCP.

Pawar, while speaking to a Marathi news channel earlier this week on Rafael deal, said "people do not have doubts" over Prime Minister Modi's intentions.

The statement was widely quoted by BJP leaders, including party president Amit Shah, to highlight Congress' failure to find wider support on the issue even amongst opposition parties.

The Congress is also trying to drum up support in the opposition ranks for its demands for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe in the purchase of the French fighter jets.