PUNE, SEPT 5: Pitted as they are against each other for a berth in Parliament, the three contestants from Pune lost no time in taking slight digs, pulling the other with witty asides and sharp retorts and ensuring that they played to the gallery at a `Meet the Press' function organised by the Pune Union of Working Journalists (PUWJ) on Saturday.So if Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Pradeep Rawat promptly shot back about how his resignation from the post of city unit chief was not a revolt or a tool of bargain for a ticket to the Lok Sabha, his rival Mohan Joshi emphasised how humble Congress workers maintained the party discipline and were ultimately rewarded.Not only were the three candidates perfectly at ease in front of a whole lot of journalists but maintained their poise and even smiled a lot in front of the camera that will air the programme at 9 pm on a local channel C News - of Rachna Communications Pvt Ltd. Needless to say, the sitting MP and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) candidateVitthal Tupe was his savvy best when he provided laconic replies to queries that ranged from how he handled civic issues to toeing Sharad Pawar's line.Tongue-in-cheek replies and grilling each other on the work done and not done marked the hour long programme that was coordinated by Sada Dhumbre, editor, Saptahik Sakal, Arvind Gokhale, editor, Kesari and Mukund Sangoram, chief reporter, Loksatta.Even as Tupe made it a point to talk about his experience in the field as compared to Rawat and Joshi, the twosome were quick to needle him on the problems unsolved despite his long innings in the field!Not to be cowed down by the sarcastic rejoinders, Tupe managed to hog quite a bit of the show with his penchant for picking up the mike and making cryptic replies. Joshi lambasted the Vajpayee government and emphasised how the Congress had provided a stable governance for 45 years. The attack on his leader made Rawat see red who fired back that Vajpayee had outgrown the BJP - so impressive was his personality.As for Tupe, the chant about how the Congress could have saved face had they made Sharad Pawar the prime minister went on unabated.Local issues also dominated the talk particularly each candidate's views on vehicular pollution, construction of flyovers, mega water supply scheme, right to information and even former municipal commissioner Arun Bhatia. The candidates willingly agreed to declare their assets, refrained from making public their calculations on how to win the elections and a generous Tupe even backed Rawat when the latter was asked how comfortable he felt with Pune since he was not born here. Tupe's reply was fast and predictable - at least he is not a pardeshi here.Winding up, Tupe candidly admitted that the NCP could not stake claim to form the government on its own steam.
