As was expected, the issue of people of foreign occupying high posts is missing from the Nationalist Congress Party manifesto for the coming Lok Sabha elections.Releasing the manifesto today, NCP chief Sharad Pawar said, ‘‘When the Congress itself is not insisting on the leadership issue of the secular alliance after the polls, it is no longer an issue now.’’ Then he quickly added, ‘‘at the same time, the issue stands for the party. We have not abandoned it.’’It may be recalled that the NCP had split over the Pawar faction’s decision to drop the foreign origin issue which came soon after Congress chief Sonia Gandhi announced the leadership issue will not be thrust on the secular alliance. The Sangma faction separated from the Pawar faction saying the issue was central to the NCP’s existence.Meanwhile, Pawar said today that the entry of Sonia’s son Rahul Gandhi into the fray does not reflect the trend of ‘‘dynasty in politics’’.In an apparent attempt at targeting the local votebank in Maharashtra, the NCP said it supported the separate statehood of Vidarbha region in the state and of Telangana in Andhra Pradesh. ‘‘Statehood to both these regions is economically viable,’’ Pawar said. The manifesto, however, does not speak about both regions.The manifesto also talks of a fixed Lok Sabha term and ‘‘appropriate representation’’ for minorities in public services, including the armed forces.
