Sharad Pawar Faction Leader's Wife Compares Osama Bin Laden To Abdul Kalam, BJP Reacts

New Delhi: A new political row erupted after Sharad Pawar 's faction (NCP-SP) leader's wife drew parallels between former President Dr APJ Adbul Kalam and terrorist Osama Bin Laden.

Ruta Awhad, wife of NCP-SP leader Jitendra Awhad during a public event on Thursday said that Laden was called on students to read Laden's biography and understand how he became a terrorist.

"You must read the biography of Osama bin Laden. How APJ Abdul Kalam became the president is similar to the way Osama bin Laden became a terrorist. But why did he become a terrorist? It was society that forced him to become that way."

Following his remark, Ruta faced heavy backlash from the Bharatiya Janata Party ( BJP ).

BJP 's national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala in a post on X launched a scathing attack saying that "INDI- Congress -NCP Pawar-SP alliance leaders have routinely defended Yakub, Afzal, SIMI, Kasab & others too (sic)."

"NCP Sharad Pawar faction leader Jeetendra Ahwad's wife defends and eulogises Osama bin Laden, compares him to A.P.J. Abdul Kalam! Says society made him a terrorist! Jeetendra Awhad had defended Ishrat Jahan (LeT terrorist). INDI- Congress -NCP Pawar-SP alliance leaders have routinely defended Yakub, Afzal, SIMI, Kasab & others too (sic)," he wrote.

Furthermore, Pradip Bhandari accused INDI  of resorting to appeasement politics ahead of the assembly elections in Maharashtra .

"In order to appease it's Vote Bank now INDI alliance & MVA has started a new strategy - Encourage wife of Leaders to give statements that indicate soft support to terror! Does Sharad Pawar and Rahul Gandhi endorse the view that Osama Bin Laden was a 'Happen to be terrorist' and children should read biography of 'Terrorists'? (sic)" Bhandari said.