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Saturday, May 15, 2004

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National

NCP not to raise Sonia's foreign origin

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, MAY 14. The Nationalist Congress Party today made it clear that it would not make an issue of the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi's foreign origin and would support her for the post of Prime Minister if there was a consensus within the secular non-National Democratic Alliance on her leadership. However, the NCP is yet to decide whether to participate in the Congress-led government or confine itself to extending outside support to the secular alliance.

The NCP has set up a four-member committee to decide on the party's role in the next Central Government and work with other allies on the common minimum programme (CMP) for governance. A decision to this effect was taken at the party's working committee meeting here this evening some hours after the NCP president, Sharad Pawar, met the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, at her residence.

Briefing presspersons, the NCP's chief spokesman, Praful Patel, said that a formal meeting between the Congress, its pre-poll allies, the Left parties and those who may choose to join the coalition would take place this Sunday or Monday. "If all allies agree that the leader of the Congress Parliamentary Party should lead the secular government, then the NCP will go with the majority view,'' he said.

Reiterating the NCP's commitment to the mandate which favoured the formation of a stable and secular government at the Centre, Mr. Patel said the allies were now in the process of understanding each other. As for joining the government, his refrain was that the NCP would take a decision after the contours of the new dispensation became clear. "Either way, we will fully support the setting up of a secular and cohesive government and this has been communicated to Ms. Gandhi by Mr. Pawar.''

In their nearly hour-long meeting, Mr. Pawar — who was the elected leader of the NCP's parliamentary party today — apparently did not raise the foreign origin issue and confined himself to discussing the CMP. Referring to the Left parties' view that the Disinvestment Ministry ought to be wrapped up, he told reporters after the meeting that this was something that could be discussed among the allies.

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