Pawar open to Cong as a ‘secular choice’

‘‘Cutting across their ideology, parties have come together in the larger interest of the country in the past. Keeping communal forces out of power remains top on the NCP agenda,’’ he said.

Addressing the concluding session of the NCP’s Chintan Shibir, which saw Congress-bashing in a big way, Pawar said it was no joy when the party had to join hands with the Congress. ‘‘We had to go for a softer option and we preferred the Congress over Shiv Sena-BJP,’’ he said.

The BJP and the Hindutva Parivar have shown time and again that they can’t be consistent. ‘‘We firmly oppose communalisation of administration as seen in Gujarat. Today a minority is suffering, tomorrow it could be the secularists. This must be stopped,’’ he said.

He criticised the BJP-led NDA for its ‘failure’ on all fronts. Be it economic policy, self-reliance or governance. ‘‘Foreign goods have flooded Indian markets under a regime campaigning for swadeshi,’’ he said. He said the NCP was not opposed to foreign capital or technology but to the lack of protection for domestic market in the WTO-driven world order.

Pawar held the earlier BJP-Sena rule in Maharashtra responsible for most of state’s existing problems. ‘‘Not a single industry came to the state during that regime. The alliance created an atmosphere that made foreign investors jittery about putting their money in the state,’’ he said.

On the DF rule, Pawar said, it was time now for it to act for the common people, farmers and labour. The NCP chief had a terse message for rebels within the party. ‘‘Better decide fast. Move out or stay,’’ he said.