PUNE, July 12: The annual general body meeting of the Pune district Congress today expressed full confidence in the leadership of Sharad Pawar and condemned the act of ``some party seniors'' who have targeted Pawar over the defeat of Ram Pradhan at the recent Rajya Sabha polls.Though a formal resolution to this effect was not moved at the meeting, the Congressmen launched a veiled attack against the party seniors for ``creating problems for the saheb.''Former MP and now MLC Ramkrishna More recommended that the general body should adopt a resolution urging Congress president Sonia Gandhi not to entertain the ``anti-Pawar Congress seniors'' and drop action against 10 MLAs who have been served show-cause notices for alleged cross-voting during the Rajya Sabha polls.He was supported by majority of the Congressmen present for the meeting who even sought an explanation from the office-bearers of the Pune district Congress unit as to why they had not issued a press statement condemning the move by anti-Pawar forces.However, MLA Anantrao Thopte intervened to request the general body not to adopt a formal resolution to this effect which he felt would make the matter more complicated. He pointed out to the aggrieved Congressmen that Pawar had already held talks with Sonia Gandhi and it was not proper on part of the local party unit to advise the party chief.Interestingly, Pawar was not present when the issue was discussed during the meeting. The opposition leader in the Lok Sabha arrived at the Congress Bhavan around 4.30 pm, after majority of the speakers had addressed the marathon three-hour meeting.Pawar distanced himself from making any comment over the issue during his 30-minute speech. Instead, he called upon the partymen to gear up for the forthcoming assembly elections and launched a frontal attack against the BJP-Shiv Sena government for its failure to maintain law and order in the State.Lamenting the rise in the number of gang wars, murders and dacoities during the past three and half years, since the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance came to power, Pawar said, ``It seems that Maharashtra is being ruled by pendharis (a tribe which use to loot people).''``Also, under the BJP-Shiv Sena rule the industrial progress has come to a standstill and Maharashtra is heading towards bankruptcy,'' Pawar said.He said that he had received information that the funds to be raised through Rs 300-crore bonds, recently floated by the Maharashtra Krishna Valley Development Corporation, would be utilised for paying interest to the citizens who have already invested their hard earned money in the project.``The Maharashtra government had raised Rs 23,000 crore for the project. Where has the money gone?,'' Pawar questioned.Earlier, the general body resolved to gear up for the assembly elections and directed the Congress district unit to launch a fresh membership drive.
