Former Maharashtra Chief Minister and chief of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Sharad Pawar on Monday announced that his party will contest in a limited number of seats in Karnataka in the next Assembly elections.
Addressing a press conference after inaugurating his party office in Bengaluru, Mr. Pawar said: “We will contest a few seats. Our purpose is to bring secular forces together and our efforts will be to ensure that secular votes are not divided in Karnataka. We will discuss with some secular parties and concentrate on limited seats.”
He said the Karnataka unit of NCP will take out a padayatra covering 511 km in the second week of May to highlight the issues of price rise and unemployment and strengthen the party. “People from across the State will participate in the padayatra that will take off from Tumakuru and culminate in Belagavi. A massive convention will be held in Belagavi,” he said.
Expressing concern over the ongoing communal tension in some States, he said: “The situation is quite serious.. We never heard of communal violence during Hanuman Jayanthi and Rama Navami. The reason behind this is the BJP and some of their organisations. Their efforts seem to be in creating problems in India.”
He said: “I recently had a conversation with Mamatha Banerjee. She suggested that we organise a meeting of secular parties and non-BJP CMs. Our efforts should be to face these communal forces and try to bring secular forces together. In the wake of her suggestion, we have started working in other States too. My visit to Karnataka is in this background.”
Pointing out that discussions are on stage-by-stage with regard to bringing secular parties together, he said: “When the question is to bring all secular parties together on certain national issues, we cannot boycott the Congress. We will have to take Congress also with us.”
“In Delhi certain sections have been charge-sheeted. Unfortunately, Delhi’s law and order is not with Arvind Kejriwal. It is with the Central Government. When the Central Government is sitting in Delhi and the law and order responsibility is with them, it is their responsibility to see that there are no communal clashes. In many States, the BJP is using agencies such as ED, CBI for its vested interests,” he said.
On banning PFI
Generally, any organisation or party other than a political party which creates serious problems in society and their action is harmful to society and if any State or Central Government will take a decision to curb that, I will not say no.
Replying to queries on efforts to suppress one community, he said there are five to six States where the situation is serious where minorities are being attacked. “In such a situation, the Government of India and national leadership is not taking any serious note and that is why we have appealed to the Prime Minister and Central Government to take cognizance of the situation. Apart from myself and Ms. Banerjee, the statement was signed by Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Rajasthan, and heads of other political parties,” he added.
NCP chief meets KPCC president
NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Monday met State Congress president D.K. Shivakumar in Bengaluru.
Mr. Shivakumar met Mr. Pawar at Bengaluru airport. Later, the KPCC president shared a post of his meeting on Twitter saying: “Accorded a warm welcome to NCP President Sharad Pawar upon his arrival in Bengaluru. Looking forward to an enriching session with him.”
Mr. Pawar said his meeting with Mr. Shivakumar was a courtesy call.
