New Delhi, September 7
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) President Sharad Pawar today soft-pedalled on Sonia Gandhi’s foreign-origin issue and called for forming a “secular” front to fight the “communal” BJP in Gujarat.
“This is not the appropriate time to raise the foreign-origin issue. We will take it up when the time comes,” he said in his inaugural address at the NCP’s two-day national camp here.
Talking to reporters on the sidelines of the camp, he said this would not be an issue during the Gujarat elections as Ms Sonia Gandhi would not be the law-making authority in the state.
“The secular vote should not be divided in Gujarat. We are clear about this... But the Congress must not think it is the custodian of secularism and all other parties should abide by it,” he said in his speech.
While trying to keep a distance from the BJP as well as the Congress, Mr Pawar refuted reports that his party was trying to divide the “secular” votes to help the BJP.
Mr Pawar maintained that as far as Gujarat was concerned, his priority would be to ensure the defeat of Mr Narendra Modi’s party.
Asked about the NCP stand if the Congress took a lead in forming an alliance against the BJP, Mr Pawar said he raised doubts about any such move from the Congress.
To a pointed question about whom the NCP would opt for — the BJP or Ms Sonia Gandhi, Mr Pawar said: “Why should we choose. It’s a game of patience.”
Earlier, in his address, Mr Pawar said the Congress had changed a lot in the past 50 years from the days when Mahatma Gandhi had spoken of burning “videshi” (foreign) goods and today “when Mr Sangma’s effigy was burnt for talking about swadeshi”.
