Pune:
Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar today refuted the allegation that Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) ditched Congress in the recent elections to the posts of Zilla Parishad chairman and vice-chairman in Maharashtra, saying it was the Congress which had failed to honour the coalition 'dharma'.
Referring to the allegation by Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) president Manikrao Thakre that the NCP had "cheated" the Congress by joining hands with other parties (including Shiv Sena and the BJP) in the Zilla Parishad polls, Mr Pawar said, "In Pune and Kolhapur, Congress failed to honour yuti-dharma. Discipline should not apply only to the NCP."
Addressing a meeting of newly elected NCP corporators in Pune, Mr Pawar said he did not want to escalate the controversy, but the NCP could not be expected to keep quiet if the Congress continued to break the understanding between the ruling alliance partners of the state.
The NCP chief said his party took "a different stand" in these polls because of the Congress' unfriendly posture in Pune and Kolhapur. He also noted that the Zilla Parishad elections had been fought independently by the two parties.
"We would like to convey this reality politely and have no wish to continue the controversy on this issue," Mr Pawar added.
Recently Mr Pawar had taken exception to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's statement about difficulties posed by coalition politics, saying that his party had never caused any difficulty to the government.
Referring to the allegation by Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) president Manikrao Thakre that the NCP had "cheated" the Congress by joining hands with other parties (including Shiv Sena and the BJP) in the Zilla Parishad polls, Mr Pawar said, "In Pune and Kolhapur, Congress failed to honour yuti-dharma. Discipline should not apply only to the NCP."
Addressing a meeting of newly elected NCP corporators in Pune, Mr Pawar said he did not want to escalate the controversy, but the NCP could not be expected to keep quiet if the Congress continued to break the understanding between the ruling alliance partners of the state.
The NCP chief said his party took "a different stand" in these polls because of the Congress' unfriendly posture in Pune and Kolhapur. He also noted that the Zilla Parishad elections had been fought independently by the two parties.
"We would like to convey this reality politely and have no wish to continue the controversy on this issue," Mr Pawar added.
Recently Mr Pawar had taken exception to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's statement about difficulties posed by coalition politics, saying that his party had never caused any difficulty to the government.
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