By India Today News Desk: Nationalist Congress Party president Sharad Pawar addressed his party workers on Monday in Maharahstra’s Satara, a day after his nephew Ajit rebelled against the party and joined the BJP and Eknath Shinde-led Mahrahstra government.

At the address, Pawar said “some people fell prey to the BJP’s tactics to break other parties,” indirectly referring to Ajit Pawar’s walkout from the party along with eight other MLAs.

Pawar also spoke about how the Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra was toppled by rebel Shiv Sena MLAs last year.

He said that the MVA was focussed on serving the people of Maharashtra but the NCP, Congress, Shiv Sena alliance was toppled by “some people”.

Taking aim at the ruling BJP, Pawar said that in Maharashtra and other parts of the country, conflicts were being created in the name of caste and religion.

“Today, in Maharashtra and the country, a rift is being created between the society in the name of caste and religion by some groups,” he said.