News Analysis India

Tag: NCP

  • Narayan Rane acting as per his `Sanskar’: Sharad Pawar

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: Union minister Narayan Rane was acting according to his “Sanskar”, Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar said here on Tuesday.

    Rane was arrested earlier in the day over his statement that he would have slapped Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray for allegedly not knowing India’s year of independence.

    “I do not want to get into this matter. He is acting as per his Sanskar (values imbibed during formative years),” Pawar told reporters when asked for his reaction.

    “I do not give any importance to the issue,” said the NCP chief, whose party shares power in Maharashtra with the Thackeray-headed Shiv Sena and Congress.

    Incidentally, Rane had started his political career with the Sena before falling out with the Thackerays and joining the Congress.

    He later switched allegiance to the BJP.

  • Maharashtra: Sex workers protest in Nagpur against barricading of area

    By PTI

    NAGPUR: Two groups of people protesting against and in favour of barricading a prominent red-light area here in Maharashtra came face to face on Sunday.

    However, timely intervention by the police prevented a potential clash.

    A group of sex workers was led by NCP leader Jwala Dhote while NCP corporator Abha Pandey led the other group supporting the police action to barricade the locality, known as Ganga-Jamuna.

    In the morning hours, Jwala Dhote and her supporters assembled in the area and placed a portrait of late MP Jambuwantrao Dhote.

    Sex workers tied Rakhis to the portrait and later came on the main road.

    Police personnel with a platoon of the Riot Control Police (RCP) was already deployed in the area.

    Soon after, corporator Pandey also arrived at the spot with her supporters and raised slogans backing the police.

    When both groups came face to face, senior police officers intervened and pacified the agitators.

    After discussing the issue with senior officers, both groups called off their agitations.

    Nagpur police on Saturday started a dialogue with sex workers for their rehabilitation after sealing the area on August 11.

    Representatives of various welfare bodies of government are also in favour of rehabilitating the sex workers.

    A police officer said many sex workers have already left the area after the police imposed section 144 of the CrPC on August 11 and sealed the entry of outsiders to all 12 lanes.

    A posse of 100 police personnel remains deployed in the area round-the-clock.

    Corporator Pandey told reporters that residents are fed up with sex workers.

    “The Ganga-Jamuna settlement should be removed and sex workers rehabilitated. Even minor girls are being forced into prostitution here. Our agitation will continue,” she said.

    Jwala Dhote alleged a lobby of some builders and political leaders was behind the entire police operation.

  • INTERVIEW | Congress will be a pillar of Opposition unity, says NCP MP Supriya Sule

    Express News Service

    MUMBAI: After two major defeats in Lok Sabha polls against BJP, the Opposition has started preparing early for 2024. Several meetings have taken place, including Friday’s virtual one called by Congress president Sonia Gandhi. 

    Lok Sabha MP and daughter of NCP chief Sharad Pawar, Supriya Sule has been part of core discussions. She thinks there is a lot of vendetta politics and misuse of central probe agencies.Excerpts from an interview.

    The Opposition’s efforts to fight BJP together have not borne fruit yet. For example, there was no electoral unity in West Bengal. Unless that happens, won’t it be tough to halt the BJP juggernaut?

    The first big achievement of the Opposition is that like-minded parties have decided to come together for the larger cause of saving the country and democracy. Earlier, the Opposition was fragmented. Now, they are talking to each other, meeting over breakfast and dinner. This is a good sign. Defeating the BJP is another thing, but coming together is an important thing. We should not worry about futuristic electoral success at this juncture. We have to live in the present and strategize for the future. We have shown unity in the monsoon session of Parliament. The Opposition was united on Pegasus and farm bill issues. More meetings will happen. The process has started. Well begun is half the job done.

    What are the main challenges? How are you going to counter BJP’s well-oiled machinery and round the clock politics?

    There are several challenges. We and the ruling party should understand that our fight is not against any individual. We want to see both Houses of Parliament function, more discussions, thought-provoking and enriching debates. Everyone should join the debate and be a part of the policy-making process. These policies have a long-lasting impact on society. Therefore, healthy discussion is the hallmark of democracy. There should also be some banter. Such things help break the ice between the ruling party and the Opposition. Nowadays, the fun is missing in House debates. Everything is politicised and follows a ‘you versus me’ line. We are missing the soul of democracy. The ruling party should understand we are not against the government. Opposition is a part of Parliamentary democracy. We want to table suggestions on various bills. We do not want to change the entire bill, but a little tweak here and there that makes a difference. But the government is not ready for that. They want to bulldoze everything by trampling over democratic procedures.

    If positive changes are made to the bills and in the long run if that particular act becomes successful, then the credit will go to the government only. For example, in this session, the ruling party brought and passed the bill restoring the rights of the state governments to give reservations. When the ruling party had earlier brought the bill to snatch the state government’s rights over reservations, we vehemently opposed and said this is an attack on the federal structure of India. But our demands fell on deaf ears. Now, the same restoration bill was brought and passed. Therefore, we need debate and discussion in the House.

    With regards to Opposition unity, what about the morally-down Congress? Isn’t there this ‘old versus young’ going on in the party?

    Interim Congress president Sonia Gandhi is a graceful and dignified personality. She has been working hard for her party and Opposition unity as well. UPA I and II was a better government. We may have missed out on certain issues but the fruits we reap today are the work of the Manmohan Singh government. He was a visionary prime minister who took along all parties and all schools of thought. The UPA I and II started several good policies and programmes which were later renamed by the BJP government. Everyone is doing something or the other to strengthen the Opposition. I am confident Congress will once again emerge as a force and will be the main pillar among the Opposition. Everyone is comfortable working with Congress because of its inclusive and liberal approach.

    What about Rahul Gandhi? Will other Opposition parties accept him as their leader in 2024?

    I personally share a good rapprochement with Rahul Gandhi. We both got elected to Lok Sabha in 2009. We have been working together and exchanging thoughts for the betterment of society. He is a genuine and empathetic person. He is sincere in his thoughts and decisions. He brings in-depth perspectives and dimensions to the table when we discuss policies and political issues. He is well-read and ideologically committed. No one has issues with him. Whether to accept him as Opposition leader, is the later part. First, we have to come together and fight against the BJP. Accepting his leadership is not a key issue at this juncture.

    NCP chief Sharad Pawar met celebrated political strategist Prashant Kishor a couple of times in Mumbai and Delhi. You were part of those confidential meetings. What is cooking?

    Apart from politics, we have a huge circle of friends and well-wishers. Prashant Kishor is one of our close family friends. My husband and even my daughter know him. This was not the first time we met him. We also feel happy and proud that one of our friends is getting huge electoral success for his strategy and planning. People should not read much in these meetings.

    There was talk that Sharad Pawar would be fielded as a presidential candidate from a united face of Opposition? Any comments?

    These are nothing but speculations. It has no truth and base. NCP chief Sharad Pawar has clarified his stand over it. We cannot stop people from speculating. We sometimes laugh and enjoy this kind of speculative news.

    Former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh is facing ED summons in connection with a money laundering case. Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar’s name was also linked with a private sugar factory case. What do you think of these?

    This is nothing but vendetta politics. Can you imagine how many times ED conducted raids at Anil Deshmukhji’s residence? Five times. If probe agencies do not find anything in the first raid, a second or third raid can be understood. But ED has been raiding his premises multiple times without getting anything against him. It shows the intention of the agencies. If he is ready to cooperate with the probe, then why are they harassing him? It shows there is something fishy behind these raids. Ajit Dada was also targeted in a private sugar factory deal. They are digging out old cases and harassing our people. We believe law should take its own course. At least investigative agencies should not be politicised and misused. Due to this, the institutions are losing the public’s trust. No one will remain in power forever, but we have to safeguard our intuitions, their credibility and reputation. It takes years to reach this stage. The institutions should remain sacrosanct and not become a puppet in anyone’s hand.

    How do you review the Uddhav Thackeray government’s performance in two years?

    In the true sense, Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray has emerged a real, administrative leader. He worked hard to earn this reputation as an efficient administrator and leader. Earlier, everyone knew him as Shiv Sena president, but not as an administrator. The way he worked and handled the pandemic pleasantly surprised everyone including me. His team including Deputy CM Ajit Dada was working hard to meet the people’s expectations. The good part of his leadership is he does not take unilateral decisions. If there are issues, he always calls and consults Ajit Dada and Congress minister Balasaheb Thorat. This is the beauty of inclusive and good leadership. We are confident Maha Vikas Aghadi will complete its full five years.

  • Onus on Congress for Opposition unity during Gujarat polls: NCP’s Praful Patel

    By PTI

    AHMEDABAD: The onus of keeping like-minded parties together to fight the BJP in the 2022 Gujarat Assembly polls was on the Congress, which had failed to do so in 2017, senior NCP leader Praful Patel said on Friday.

    Patel, who is the party’s Gujarat in charge, said people were against the BJP in the last polls but the Congress, despite winning 88 seats, could not dislodge the former as it had failed to take along other opposition parties.

    ‘To avoid repeating this in the 2022 Assembly polls, all like-minded parties must come together (to defeat the BJP).

    As always, the NCP will cooperate in this endeavor.

    But more importantly, being the largest opposition party, Congress needs to think over it,” Patel, a former Union civil aviation minister, said.

    He said the NCP had taken the lead (to form such an alliance) in Maharashtra as it was powerful there, while in Gujarat this onus fell on the Congress as it was the principal opposition party.

    The people of Gujarat were suffering from poverty, unemployment, poor law and order under BJP rule, Patel claimed.

    The NCP and Congress were in a seat sharing agreement in the 2017 Assembly polls, but the former had also claimed it was not given enough seats to fight.

    On the NCP’s lone MLA in the state, Kandhal Jadeja, openly defying the party whip and voting for the BJP instead of the Congress in the last Rajya Sabha polls, Patel said it was Jadeja’s personal issue and did not reflect his party’s stand.

  • TMC, NCP among other Opposition parties keen to capture space lost by Congress

    Express News Service

    NEW DELHI:  At a time Opposition parties are working to form an anti-BJP alliance at national level, regional players are posing formidable challenges to Congress and becoming more assertive in states where the party is losing ground.

    While Rahul Gandhi is trying to pitch the party as a national alternative to BJP, regional players like TMC and NCP among others are looking to expand their feet in other territories and increase bargaining power during alliances.

    Some in Congress feel that weakening of the top leadership and slow decision making has not only resulted in party cadre and leaders losing hope but made regional parties more optimistic. “Congress drew blank in recently held West Bengal elections performed poorly in Assam, and Kerala. During Bihar elections, RJD blamed Congress for failing to win seats to bring it to power despite the former emerging as the single largest party,” said a senior party leader.

    Majority of party cadre in Bengal has either shifted to TMC or BJP and similar is the case in Assam and other Northeast states and Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. The party has failed to regain ground in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. It manages to either retain hold or emerge as principal Opposition in Punjab, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka.

    An Opposition leader said that while like-minded parties are looking to form an alliance to take on BJP, it  does not stop them from expanding their reach in other states, even if it is at the cost of hurting prospects of the Congress.

    “TMC was pitted against an alliance of Left and Congress in Bengal, Left and Congress were against each other in Kerala. In Maharashtra, all current alliance partners NCP, Shiv Sena and Congress contested as separate entities and same in Gujarat. Such examples are in several other states. A national alliance will have lots of give and take by all players,” said the leader. 

  • Afghanistan crisis: Need to review foreign policy regarding neighbouring nations, says Sharad Pawar

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: With the Taliban taking over Afghanistan, NCP president and former Union minister Sharad Pawar on Monday underlined the need to review India’s foreign policy concerning all the neighbouring countries.

    “We should be alert and will have to take precautions in the long run. There was a time when except Pakistan and China, our relations with other neighbours were good,” he told reporters when asked about the Afghanistan crisis.

    ALSO READ: How did the Taliban take over Afghanistan so quickly?

    Taliban insurgents swept into Afghanistan’s capital on Sunday after the government collapsed and President Ashraf Ghani left the country.

    Unprecedented scenes and being witnessed in the Afghan capital Kabul, where panic-stricken people are scurrying to escape from the country.

    “It is time to review our foreign policy concerning other countries. The situation is not good. But it is a sensitive issue. We will cooperate with the government since this is about national security,” the former Defence Minister said.

  • NCP hopes Governor Koshiyari will take decision on MLC nominations post Bombay HC ruling

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: Ruling coalition partner NCP on Friday expressed the hope Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari would take a decision on nominating 12 persons as members of the Legislative Council from his quota after a Bombay High Court ruling.

    Maharashtra minister and NCP spokesman Nawab Malik noted the high court has said the governor should take a decision on the nominations, cleared by the cabinet in November 2020, at the earliest in the interest of the state.

    It is not correct for the governor to indefinitely delay the appointments, he said.

    Earlier in the day, the HC said the governor has a “constitutional obligation” to either accept or reject “within reasonable time” the proposal sent by the cabinet to nominate 12 persons as MLCs.

    Months had passed after the cabinet sent the list and it would be “eminently desirable” if the governor discharged his obligation without much delay as seats in the Legislative Council cannot be kept vacant indefinitely, the court added.

    Malik expressed the hope Koshyari would now take a decision on the cabinet recommendation on nominations to the Upper House from the governor’s quota as it has been nine months since the list was sent to him.

    “Even though there is no time-frame for the governor, it is the duty of the governor to approve a decision taken by the cabinet.

    It is mandatory and such a provision is there in the constitution,” he said.

    “Since the court has said a decision should be taken in the interest of the state, we hope the governor would do so,” the minister said.

    Malik said the HC has said the governor and the chief minister should work in tandem.

    “The gubernatorial post is a constitutional post and there should be no politics. The governor should keep in mind that he is not a political person,” he said.

  • NCP chief Sharad Pawar meets kin of PWP veteran late Ganpatrao Deshmukh

    By PTI

    PUNE: NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Sunday met family members of the longest-serving MLA in Maharashtra Ganpatrao Deshmukh, who died last month, and expressed condolences.

    Deshmukh (94), a senior leader of the Peasants and Workers Party (PWP), breathed his last in a private hospital in Solapur on July 30.

    “I couldn’t attend Deshmukh’s last rites due to Assembly sessions. I strongly wanted to come to Sangola since then,” Pawar told reporters. Deshmukh had represented the Sangola constituency in the Solapur district in the state legislative assembly 11 times since 1962.

    He had served as an MLA for 54 years.

    He had won the Sangola seat in the 2014 state elections for a record 11th time.

    Deshmukh had served as a minister in the government led by Sharad Pawar in 1978 and again in 1999 when his party PWP supported the Congress-NCP alliance.

  • BJP misleading people over Centre’s aid to flood-hit people in Maharashtra: NCP

    It means that of the entire relief amount of Rs 3,701 crore, the Union government has sanctioned Rs 701 crore only.

  • Maharashtra govt not cooperating in probe against Anil Deshmukh: CBI tells Bombay HC 

    The CBI on April 21 this year registered an FIR against Deshmukh on charges of corruption and misuse of official position.