The Hindu : National : NCP severs ties with saffron alliance

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, May 24, 2004

National

National

NCP severs ties with saffron alliance

MUMBAI, MAY 23. The Nationalist Congress Party has decided to sever all its ties with the saffron allies that existed at the local civic bodies level in Maharashtra.

``The NCP will end all its ties with the saffron parties at local civic bodies in the State,'' its leader and Maharashtra Home Minister, R.R. Patil, told reporters here today.

Mr. Patil urged its ally, the Congress, to do the same so as to strengthen the secular alliance.

``The party has constituted a four-member committee for the purpose consisting of Ajit Pawar, Baban Pachpute, Sunil Tatkare and myself.''

The NCP had an alliance with the saffron parties in Kolhapur, Satara, Ahmednagar, Beed, Raigad and Nanded civic bodies. ``The NCP wants to strengthen the secular alliance and abide by the secular alliance from top to bottom'', Mr. Patil said.

He said the division of secular votes had affected the Congress-NCP led alliance performance in the State in the Lok Sabha polls.

To avoid the division of secular votes in the coming Assembly elections, Mr. Patil said his party would make efforts to bring all the secular parties together to join the Congress-NCP led alliance in the State.

Mr. Patil said the State unit of the party had constituted a 19-member committee to decide on the manifesto of the party for the Assembly elections.

PTI

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

National