We8217;re trying to check BJP: Pawar

NEW DELHI, May 17: Senior Congress leader Sharad Pawar today said the demand by him and two other party leaders for an amendment to the constitution to bar persons of foreign origin from occupying high public offices like the prime minister was the quot;best and most effective way of taking the wind out of BJP propaganda to diminish the stature of the Congress presidentquot;.

In a letter to party general secretary, Oscar Fernandes, expressing his inability to attend the CWC meeting today, he said the suggestion made in the last para of their letter was made in quot;all seriousness keeping the overall interest of the party in mindquot;.

He told fernandes that in the event of the suggestion made in the letter not being agreed to, the CWC would of course act on a majority decision in their absence quot;but our views as expressed in the letter and our proposal for the amendment of the constitution in the manifesto, as also our dissent to any decision other than expressed in our letter should be recordedquot;.

He also regretted that the CWC meeting was being fixed on a date and time when two out of the three signatories to the letter were out of the city. quot;However, I am sure the CWC will take an appropriate decision in the matterquot;.