The Hindu : NCP splits; Pawar, Sangma part ways

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jan 25, 2004

Front Page

Front Page

NCP splits; Pawar, Sangma part ways

By Javed M. Ansari

NEW DELHI. Jan. 24. The Nationalist Congress Party split today with P.A. Sangma deciding to part company with Sharad Pawar and proclaiming his group to be the real NCP. Mr. Sangma's claim was immediately questioned by the senior NCP leader and party spokesman, Praful Patel, who asserted that barring a few legislators from Meghalaya, the entire party was with Mr. Pawar.

The Sharad Pawar-led NCP immediately expelled Mr. Sangma and five others from the party, according to a PTI report.

The parting of ways came after a last-ditch attempt by Mr. Pawar to dissuade Mr. Sangma and the Chhattsigarh leader, V.C. Shukla, from precipitating the crisis. The 55-minute meeting at the residence of Mr. Patel proved futile.

Even though Mr. Patel told newspersons that the two sides would meet again in the next few days, Mr. Sangma drove to his Aurangzeb Road residence, where he was "elected the new NCP president replacing Mr. Pawar."

Mr. Sangma staked his claim to the party's symbol and flag. A gathering of his supporters, which doubled up as the "workers convention" of the NCP passed a resolution "authorising the new NCP president" to apprise the Election Commission of the developments. Mr. Sangma later told the media that he would seek a meeting with the Election Commission early next week.

The Pawar camp was quick to dub Mr. Sangma's election "illegal" and challenged the locus standi of the "so-called workers' convention."

Mr. Patel said that all the State units of the party, save the one in Meghalaya, were with Mr. Pawar and that he continued to be the "only president of the NCP." Regarding Mr. Sangma's claim to the party symbol and flag, he said the issue would be decided by the Election Commission.

A resolution adopted by the convention organised by Mr. Sangma's supporters rejected Mr. Pawar's decision to align with the Congress. "The decision to contest the coming general election in an electoral alliance with the Congress amounts to throwing to the winds the fundamental motivation for the formation of the NCP, the letter and spirit of the basic objective of the party," it said. It endorsed Mr. Sangma's stand.

Mr. Sangma said his decision was not the result of a personality clash with Mr. Pawar. "We both have our political compulsions." He explained his inability to agree to an electoral tie-up with the Congress because it went against everything that he stood for. "There can be no compromise on the issue, it is a question of national identity, honour and self-respect," he said.

There was another dimension to the developments. Though Mr. Shukla supported Mr. Sangma in opposing a tie-up with the Congress, it was later made clear that though he might have an electoral tie-up with the National Democratic Alliance, he would form a political outfit of his own. Mr. Sangma explained it away by saying that this was necessary in view of the peculiar political situation in Chhattisgarh. "We will have different identities but will continue to work together under the umbrella of the NDA and will help each other," he said. Mr. Shukla later said the name of his regional party would be announced in Chhattisgarh in consultation with his supporters.

The battle has now shifted to the Election Commission. Mr. Pawar's supporters indicated that they would prove before the Commission that Mr. Pawar had the support of the vast majority of the party's elected representatives, office-bearers and workers.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Front Page

News Update

Stories in this Section

NCP splits; Pawar, Sangma part ways

IT industry dismayed over U.S. Bill on outsourcing

Import duty cut on raw materials for auto parts, air-conditioners

David Kay replaced