Mumbai, Oct 29 (PTI): NCP today defended Maharashtra deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar's controversial remarks insinuating that private parts of rapists be severed.

Speaking at a function at Bhokardan in Jalna district yesterday, Pawar said rapists deserved no mercy and should be hanged.

"The opposition calls Ajit Pawar's remarks Talibani, but Maharashtra has a great tradition of culture and ideology. What he meant was that when looking at women, we should see them as our mother, sister," state NCP president Bhaskar Jadhav said.

"His message was that the rapists should be made "napunsak" (impotent). We should see his angst from this perspective and not term it as Talibani," Jadhav said.

Reacting to Pawar's remarks, Shiv Sena leader Neelam Gorhe said he was making such statements in a bid to divert attention from the failure of the state government under Congress-NCP combine in curbing crime against women.

On state Congress president Manikrao Thakre seeking a greater share in seat allotment in a departure from last election's 26 seats (Congress) and 22 seats (NCP) formula, Jadhav said, "I have read Thakre's statement. We have declared that the elections be fought keeping in mind the 22:26 formula.

"Our stance is that there should be no division of secular votes. At the coordination committee meeting, we have made our views clear, that we want to contest the elections, based on the 22:26 formula," the NCP leader said.