Journalism of Courage
Run-up to assembly polls : Pune MP tells NCP to break alliance with saffron parties in civic body
A month back,the city Congress was making desperate attempts to rope in the NCP to campaign for its Lok Sabha candidate. The Congress,which retained the Pune seat,is now singing a different tune. Adopting an aggressive stand,Congress MP Suresh Kalmadi on Sunday announced that his party was ready to go solo in the assembly polls if the NCP which is still struggling to come to terms with its humiliating defeat in Shirur and Maval Lok Sabha constituencies failed to break its ties with the saffron alliance in the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC).
The NCP should end the Pune Pattern,an alliance with BJP-Shiv Sena in the local civic body or else the Congress will go alone in the assembly elections, Kalmadi said at a function organised by the city Congress to felicitate him on his re-election at the Congress Bhavan. He urged Congress workers to gear up for the assembly elections without any alliance.
The Congress decision to contest assembly elections on its own will not be limited to the city. It will be extended to the entire district, Kalmadi said,underlining that victory of party candidates has shown that the Congress has a strong presence in Western Maharashtra.
Congress workers have adhered to alliance norms, Kalmadi said,and added that he has urged Chief Minister Ashok Chavan to ensure that the guardian ministers appointed in the state are not from the same district as it leads to wrong politics.
There were many who wanted to reduce the strength of Congress MPs from the state,but couldnt succeed,said Kalmadi.
We were confident of winning the Lok Sabha elections,but betrayal led to reduction in the victory margin, said Kalmadi who won by over 25,000 votes over his rival Anil Shirole of the BJP.
Taking on his opponents within the party,Kalmadi said there were many in the party who did not work for him during the polls. We will ensure that those who didnt contribute to the elections do not get anything from the party. I have sent a detailed report to the party high command, he added.
His supporters Chandrakant Chhajed,Ramesh Bagawe,Vinayak Nimhan and city Congress chief Abhay Chhajed were present while his opponents Balasaheb Shivarkar,Ulhas Pawar and Anant Gadgil did not attend the function.
Expressing gratitude to the Republican Party for their support in Pune,Kalmadi said it was unfortunate that the RPI leader Ramdas Athawale had lost the election,but we will work for bringing him in the Rajya Sabha.
In contrast to the Congress aggression,a meeting of NCP leaders at Market Yard sounded subdued. District Guardian Minister Ajit Pawar owned up responsibility for the loss of party candidates in Shirur and Maval.
I own responsibility for our loss,but its time to recharge and gear up for the assembly polls, he said addressing party workers. While working for the assembly elections,party workers should ponder over deficiencies that led to our poor performance, Pawar said.
City NCP chief Jaideo Gaikwad said his party was prepared to contest all the assembly segments in the city on its own and work for making Ajit Pawar the next chief minister of the state.
The NCP meeting witnessed chaos after a few party workers raised slogans against Gaikwad.
