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NCP pushing for pan-India presence : Chill in relations with Congress |
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Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar has unfolded an aggressive road map for his party’s growing pan-India ambitions. Speaking in New Delhi on Friday, Sept. 15, he made it clear that he does not care if his move to take on board important leaders hurts the Congress. About the proposed merger of Kerala strong man K. Karunakaran’s outfit, Democratic Indira Congress (K) with the NCP, Pawar said he would consult the Left leadership to know if they had any objection. He said in Kerala, we are party of the ruling Left Front.
At the party’s extended national executive meeting in Dehradun on Saturday, Sept. 16, the NCP demanded that all UPA allies must share coveted offices. There was also a demand for greater involvement of all UPA constituents in coordination meetings with the Left parties.
As spelt out by NCP president Sharad Pawar at his press conference ahead of the meeting and laid down in the political resolution, the national executive called for “better treatment based on mutual respect and proper consultation among all coalition partners.”
Questioning the logic of having a Congress-Left coordination committee, the NCP said instead there should be a UPA-Left coordination committee with representation to all constituents. Also, it favoured frequent UPA meetings and did not find much merit in the Congress argument that Cabinet meetings provided such a forum.
The party made a strong pitch for allies sharing coveted public offices - Ambassadors, Governors and chairpersons of corporations, to name a few. Instead of the present arrangement, where the Congress was walking away with the lion’s share, some of these posts should go to the allies. The point was articulated in the political resolution, which also called for greater accommodation by the Congress of the aspirations of smaller players. “Sharing of power in the coalition context means sharing of public offices of higher responsibilities among the coalition partners.”
Pawar ruled out the possibility of a third front emerging in the immediate future but the political resolution made out a case for providing a viable alternative to the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party in time to come.
“It may be noted that the NDA [National Democratic Alliance], especially the BJP, is facing a very serious crisis. But they are making an all-out attempt for a comeback. At the same time, the Congress with its capitalistic policies and open internal fights is fast losing ground. Under the circumstances, it is obligatory on the part of the secular, democratic and progressive forces to join hands to stop the communal reactionary forces from gaining ground and to fulfil the aspirations of the people...,” the resolution said.
Pawar was categorical that his rejection of the third front concept was for the immediate future and not for 2009 - when the next Lok Sabha elections are due in the normal course.
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