Mumbai, June 10 (IANS) Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar Friday criticised the Republican Party of India's (RPI) alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Shiv Sena, saying party chief Ramdas Athawale’s commitment to the ideals of B.R. Ambedkar seemed to have vanished.

 
 Commenting on the issue for the first time while addressing a huge rally on the party’s 12th anniversary day here, Pawar noted that after Ambedkar renounced Hinduism, he had given 22 pledges to his followers. These included shunning of rituals conducted by Brahmins and not worshipping Hindu gods.
 
 "Now, Athawale has joined with people (like Sena chief Bal Thackeray) who call themselves 'Hindu Hridaysamrat' (emperor of Hindu hearts). It seems the RPI chief has abandoned Ambedkar’s ideals,” Pawar remarked without naming Thackeray.
 
 Stressing that though Athawale had a democratic right to choose his own and the party’s future path, Pawar expressed concern at Athawale moving away from Ambedkar’s very ideals - the basis for  which the RPI was formed.
 
 Pawar recalled that his party had a long alliance with the RPI.
 
 "However, in the last Lok Sabha elections, Athawale broke ties with the NCP and contested the elections from the Congress's quota. He lost. On the other hand, we had given ministerial berths to Athawale in the previous state government,” he said.
 
 Unfortunately, Athawale was upset after the loss and has gone on a different track after the last assembly elections, Pawar said.
 
 "We wish him luck," he added.