NCP welcomes CBI probe in Nithari serial killings

New Delhi, Jan 7 (UNI) The Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) today welcomed the decision of a CBI probe in the serial killing of children in Noina's Nithari village, saying the party had been demanding it since long to unravel the entire facts of the macabre killings.

''Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav has accepted the suggestion of state Governor T Rajeshwar for a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation in the Nithari killings, and we welcome it,'' party spokesman D P Tripahi told reporters here.

He was briefing mediapersons on the deliberations of the NCP's National Executive, which met under its President and Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar.

Dr. Tripathi said the meeting took stock of the preparations of the party for the coming assembly elections in Punjab, Uttarakhand and Manipur as well as the political situation existing in the country.

''The party is of the considered view that all secular parties should contest the assembly elections unitedly to prevent communal forces from coming to power,'' he said.

Asked about the suggestion of former Maharashtra Assembly Speaker and NCP senior leader Madhukar Rao Chaudhary that that party should be merged with the Congress, Dr Tripathi said there should be only a tie-up between the two parties.

The party also asked the Congress to come out with a solid decision within next 48 hours on the seat-sharing arrangement for the municipal elections in Maharashtra, saying it was imperative to prevent a division of secular votes and checkmate the communal forces from coming to power.

''We are not giving any ultimatum'', he said when asked whether this ''48-hour timeframe'' amounted to an ultimatum.

Dr Tripathi said the elections to 10 municipalities on February one were like ''mini elections in the state'' and the Congress being the larger party should take initiative in this regard.

He said the party had authorised Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel to hold talks with Congress leaders, including Ahmed Patel, Margaret Alva and Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, in this regard.

The National Executive also strongly condemned the hanging of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and held the Bush Administration responsible for it.

''The Bush government is directly responsible for it,'' Dr Tripathi told reporters.

UNI