NCP would never merge with Congress-Tariq

Patna, Jan 11 (UNI) Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) national general secretary Tariq Anwar today ruled out any move to merge with the Congress saying that the party would rather 'emerge' as a strong force in national politics.

Reacting to the offers made by Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, the NCP leader told UNI here that there was no question of merging with the Congress. He said the NCP had separate political agenda and ideologies and was flourishing in Maharahstra, Bihar and at the national level.

Mr Anwar said the party had made its strong base at several places and maintained that apart from alliance with like-minded forces it would never merge with any political party, specially with the Congress. The NCP would 'emerge as a strong political party, he claimed saying it would function as a separate political organisation.

Earlier, addressing a rally at Sangli in Maharashtra Mr Deshmukh, without naming NCP chief and Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, had urged him and his party to rejoin the Congress. Mr Deshmukh had stated that those who were now praising Congress President Sonia Gandhi but had separated from the party raising the issue of Mrs Gandhi's foreign origin should join the Congress.

It may be noted here that former Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Madhukarrao Chaudhary who had recently joined Congress abandoning NCP had also advised Mr Pawar to dissolve his seven-year-old political outfit and merge it with the Congress.

UNI