Merger talks of NCP started from Sharad Pawar's interview: Rau

By Staff
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Google Oneindia News

Mumbai, Mar 10 (UNI) Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) President Prabha Rau today said statements of several Congress leaders asking NCP supremo Sharad Pawar to merge his party with Congress started emanating after Pawar praised Congress President Sonia Gandhi.

In reply to queries as to why Congress leaders gave a 'merger' call to NCP on the eve of elections when Mr Pawar had ruled out any such possibility, Ms Rau said, ''I feel these talks started only after Mr Pawar's interview in which he had praised Ms Gandhi.'' Ms Rau said Mr Pawar had raised an objection to Ms Gandhi in 1999. Now NCP is running coalition government in Maharashtra with Congress and Mr Pawar himself is heading the agriculture ministry in the UPA government at the Centre. The Congress leaders might have felt that with such proximity among the two parties, NCP should merge with Congress, she said.

Earlier, AICC General Secretary Digvijay Singh, Margarat Alva and Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh had also given a call for a merger.

However, all NCP leaders denied the merger and Mr Pawar had stated that such talks were being made at the time of elections to create confusion among the people.

Congress-NCP, which has alliance at the State and the Centre, were however, at loggerheads in the recently concluded elections to the civic bodies and Zilla Parishad (ZP).

Refusing to comment on the recent development in Tasgaon, where elections to the 12 seats were postponed by State Election Commissioner Nandlal after malpractices were reported there, Ms Rau merely said ''the matter is very serious''. She said she did not have any details about the incident.

UNI

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