Cong seeking communal parties’ help to malign NCP — Pachpute

Pachpute and his Congress counterpart Govindrao Adik have been engaged in an acrimonious debate, giving anxious moments to the ruling Democratic Front leaders. The NCP leader went a step ahead today alleging that the State Congress leaders had launched a deliberate campaign to dub the NCP an anti-Dalit and anti-minorities party.

The NCP leader was in an aggressive mood when he charged that the State Congress was gripped by the fear-psychosis as the NCP was growing in popularity. He cited the results of the local bodies polls held in Konkan and Marathwada regions to support his statement. Besides tasting success at Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation, where it was able to install its candidate as Mayor, the party’s performance elsewhere was encouraging. On the contrary, the Congress not only suffered badly in Navi Mumbai but also went to the extent of joining hands with communal parties like Shiv Sena only to keep the NCP away, Pachpute alleged.

He recalled that the State Congress leaders spend more time in criticising the NCP rather than taking on the rival saffron alliance. Ever since the NCP was launched, the State Congress leadership was busy painting it as anti-Dalit and anti-minorities. But as the falsehood was exposed soon, the Congress leaders started spreading rumours that the NCP was joining hands with the Sena-BJP alliance. It was done deliberately to cause harm to the NCP which was growing in strength, he said.

After failing in their designs to defame the NCP, the State Congress leaders have now sought the help of communal parties to keep the NCP away from assuming power in local bodies, he alleged.

The meeting was also attended by State NCP leaders including Minister forFood and Civil Supplies Datta Meghe, ministers of State Anil Deshmukh and Dr N P Hirani, State NCP vice president Vinayak Mete, NCP’s Dalit and Minorities wing chief Madhukar Kamble, Vidarbha Statutory Development Board president Harshwardhan Deshmukh, Ramesh Bang, MLA, district NCP president Sudhakar Deshmukh, city NCP president Vasant Parshionikar, Corporator Pramod Darne and Dr Govind Varma. Surekha Kakde conducted the proceedings.