Angry Pawar,Praful skip Cabinet meet

NCP: Pawar to meet PM today; sources warn of pullout if issues not resolved

Just days after it got the Trinamool Congress to support its presidential candidate,fresh faultlines in the ruling Congress-led UPA coalition became evident this evening as senior NCP ministers Sharad Pawar and Praful Patel decided to boycott the meeting of the union cabinet.

The immediate provocation seemed to be Prime Minister Manmohan Singhs decision to overlook Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar for the No. 2 position in the government. However,NCP sources said it became necessary to send a strong signal following growing disenchantment over a number of issues that had gathered since the UPA-II government came to power,on which the partys views were not sought.

Pawar has sought a meeting with Singh tomorrow,the ostensible reason being to discuss the issue of coalition dharma and how it is imperative to ensure that the UPAs allies do not feel neglected.

Asked about the absence of Pawar and Industries Minister Praful Patel from the cabinet meeting today,NCP spokesperson D P Tripathi replied: We did not attend. Pawar chose to be closeted with Patel and Tripathi at his residence at 6 pm,when the cabinet meeting began.

Showing that the NCP means business,party sources indicated that they could even pull out of the government if the Prime Minister did not address the issues amicably,to the satisfaction of all allies. However,they said that no resignation letters had been sent yet.

Sources maintained that the pressure move was not scripted,although it came in the backdrop of a number of developments including news that Rahul Gandhi could join the government soon.

The Congress leadership cannot take the NCP warning lightly as it cannot afford further stress in its ties with another alliance partner. Its relations with Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee have soured substantially in the last few weeks. It was only after Singh himself telephoned her that the Congress managed to get her on board for the presidential election.

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Pawar,undoubtedly,is peeved that the Prime Minister has ignored his seniority and chosen Defence Minister A K Antony for the No. 2 position in the Union Cabinet after the exit of Pranab Mukherjee.

NCP sources said this was a reflection of the Congress leaderships pettiness,adding that it had also ignored the views of alliance partners on a number of other issues including the choice of PJ Kurien as deputy chairperson of the Rajya Sabha,which was presented as a fait accompli.

Incidentally,Pawar was present with other UPA allies when Hamid Ansari filed his nomination papers for the vice-presidential election yesterday. He also cast his vote in the presidential election this morning along with other senior ministers.

His absence from the Cabinet meeting in the evening indicates that he may be not be willing to accept being side-stepped in the pecking order. While Pawar sat next to Singh during a Cabinet meeting immediately after Mukherjees exit,Antony took the seat at the next meeting. Cabinet secretariat sources had said Singh had approved the change,indicating that Antony had been unofficially designated as the No. 2.