NCP to contest Delhi assembly polls jointly with UPA allies

New Delhi, Oct 6 (UNI) The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has decided to contest the upcomming Assembly elections in the Capital jointly with of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) allies to keep vote bank of all the secular forces together.

Announcing this here today, party general secretary Tariq Anwar told mediapersons that in this context the Congress would have to take the lead since it was the bigger party in Delhi.

He said the Congress should take the initiative to avoid the division of secular votes in the Capital by inviting all its allies and the other like-minded secular parties like the Samajwadi Party to come together to fight the Delhi Assembly elections jointly and keep communal and divisive forces at bay.

Critisising the role of two state governments namely Karnataka and Orissa where a particular minority community was under attack from the allies of the ruling party, he said culprits were moving freely in the state and the state governemnts had not initiated any stringent actions against those elements so far.

Mr Anwar said there party was strongly in favour of a stringent law so that these so called "religious" militant groups could not only be booked but could also be punished.

Responding to a question on Raj Thackeray, Mr Anwar said the NCP wanted actions against him.

On being asked whether party is satisfied with the performance of the Home Minister, who belongs to their party, he said the Home Minister took decisions only after informing the party highcommand.

On Bal Thackeray's case, Mr Anwar clarified it was a 17-year-old case and since Mr Thackeray had grown old and there was a feeling that it should be tackled softly and hence no harsh actions were initiated.

UNI/BKS GT PM1740