Pawar hints at poll alliance with SP, RPI

Pawar, who attended the State Parliamentary Board meeting of the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress to decide on candidatures for the state legislative council polls, pooh-poohed the claims of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that it had managed to secure the support of 40 Congress MPs prior to the dissolution of the Lok Sabha.

Challenging the BJP to reveal the names of these 40 MPs, he accused the party’s leaders of `poisonous rumour-mongering’ and declared that the party’s value-based politics now stood completely exposed as hollow.

In reply to specific queries about the importance of alliances to the Congress in Maharashtra, Pawar said a look at the statistics at the last Lok Sabha elections revealed that the Congress lost by margins equivalent to the votes garnered by the `third’ parties in more than a dozen constituencies. It was, therefore, necessary to consolidate the secular vote and understandings with these parties at individual constituencies was of the foremost importance, he said.

However, it was not just the Congress which had the responsibility to ensure a victory of the secular forces, he said. Pointing to the position of Lohiaites on the Congress, he said when there was no common enemy to defeat, they believed Congress to be their main rival. But they were clear in their minds that it was only the Congress which came closest to their ideology when it came to fighting the communal forces, he said.

“Why should the UF continue to think that they can expect help from the Congress when they wish to become prime ministers and ministers and can freely abdicate the responsibility to stave of the communal forces at other times? If they are committed to secularism, they will have to come to the Congress’ aid in fighting these forces,” he said.

Replying to a query as to whether one of the Maharashtra Legislative Council seats as well would be shared with the Samajwadi Party, Pawar said the council and the Lok Sabha elections were two entirely different matters. However, he would discuss with Brihanmumbai Regional Congress Committee president Murli Deora, the feasibility of giving away one seat to the Samajwadi Party in the council as well, Pawar added.