Pawar not averse to ‘Congress parivar’ joining hands; rules out merger

“A proposal for coming together of parties with a progressive mindset to fight communal forces such as the BJP and the Shiv Sena won’t be wished away without a serious thought,” said Pawar, when a question about merging the “Congress Parivar” parties was put to him.

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“It should not affect the party’s existence in the immediate future,” said Pawar, interacting with reporters on the sidelines of a party function in Mumbai.

The NCP, Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress, Jaganmohan Reddy-led YSR Congress, GK Vasan-led Tamil Manila Congress had originally branched out of the Congress party.

Pawar, who had lauded Modi’s Gujarat model during a rally attended by the leaders in Maharashtra’s Baramati earlier this year, on Wednesday changed tack and took a swipe at Modi’s “model” of governance at the Centre. “One expects modesty from politicians in the seat of power. But this government’s model smacks of arrogance,” Pawar said citing the controversial remarks made by BJP MP Sakshi Maharaj after the Nepal quake, and his earlier statement on family planning. Pawar, speaking to reporters, clarified that his party would oppose the new Land Acquisition bill in the Rajya Sabha.

He said that the erstwhile UPA, of which NCP was a part, had enacted the Land Act after securing consensus of all parties.

The BJP pushed through an ordinance the amended Act, which many parties were opposing owing to anti-farmer elements.

“The changes include exclusion of provisions related to consent of farmer… returning land if nothing was done in five years, which we are against. The original Act said land where crop was being grown must not be be acquired as far as possible. That clause has also been removed,” Pawar said and added that instead of building a consensus, the Modi government was trying to bulldoze ahead and push the bill through Parliament.

He said the Modi government’s “insensitivity” to the agrarian crisis would hurt the economy and the job market.

“In the 11 months since the reins of power changed hands at the Centre the BJP’s graph has declined sharply,” Pawar said and urged the NCP to build a new leadership to revive the party’s fortunes in the state. “It seems to me that they do not have the numbers to pass the bill in the present form in the Rajya Sabha,” Pawar said.

Pawar also threw a barb at Modi’s jibe at the UPA regime during his Canada trip.

“Trips abroad are inevitable when you are a country’s Prime Minister. But one must observe protocol.