NCP president Sharad Pawar on Wednesday said he and then-Prime Minister Manmohan Singh were of the opinion that no "vindictive" politics should be played against Narendra Modi when he was Gujarat Chief Minister. Speaking during an event organised by Marathi daily 'Loksatta', Pawar said barring him, there was no other minister in the erstwhile UPA government who could have a dialogue with Modi as he used to constantly attack the Manmohan Singh dispensation.

The veteran politician was the agriculture minister in the Congress-led UPA government (2004-2014). Replying to a question whether he and Singh were of the opinion that no action should be taken against Modi as he was a CM at a time when central agencies and the then-government were after him, Pawar said, "It is partly true". "When Modiji was CM of Gujarat, I was at the Centre. When PM used to call meeting of all chief ministers, Modiji used to lead a group of CMs of BJP-ruled states and used to attack the Centre. "So strategy used to be chalked out on how to respond to Modi during a such situation.