Pawar adds fuel to Sena civil war, says Joshi is a friend

"The Congress at the moment seems rather like a decadent zamindar," he said. "He might have lost all his lands but he is still doing little except count what was once his."

The rebuilding of the party network should begin to be apparent from next year onwards when several States were scheduled to go to polls, he added.Pawar, who has now entrenched himself on the national scene said that in amonth he would spend at least 15 days outside New Delhi.

"I have decided to give five days each month to Maharashtra and ten to states other than my home state," he said.

Meanwhile, rubbing salt into the self-inflicted wounds of Sena leadership, Pawar said there was nothing new to Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray’s charges that Chief Minister Manohar Joshi was "pro-Pawar". "I differ from Joshi’s ideology but I have no quarrel with him so long as his statements are within the realm of decency. It has always been my endeavour to maintain good personal relations with political leaders from all parties. There is nothing wrong in maintaining personal friendships with leaders of other political parties so long as these do not come in the way of your own ideology," he said.

He, however, remarked that the failure of the Sena’s brand of ideology and politics as proved by the results of the last Lok Sabha elections was seemingly difficult for its leaders to swallow. "And so they were pushing the blame on to othersand the government. However, I am certain Joshi is clever enough to manage all the contradictions and handle his leaders quite adeptly. Not having gained power at the Centre, the Congress would, however, will go no further in seeking the dismissal of the state government," he said.

On the future of his party’s alliance with the Samajwadi party and the Republican party of India, he said the State Congress was committed to extending the arrangement to the next Assembly elections as well. "We have plans not just to share seats with the two parties but also to include them in the government," he said With RPI MP Ramdas Athavale sitting by his side, he, however, made it clear that the four MPs already elected to the Lok Sabha will "be needed at the centre and may not participate in the Assembly polls." However, in the coming by-elections the Congress will contest all the seats vacated by MLAs elected to the LS on its own. Later Pawar, accompanied by several state Congress leaders, led a morcha of mill workers tothe Vidhan Bhavan.