Sharad Pawar says no dispute in INDIA bloc over convenor’s post, no need to project any face
Sharad Pawar said it was suggested during the meeting by some that the alliance should be headed by Mallikarjun Kharge and most agreed to the proposal
There was no dispute among the INDIA bloc members over appointing its convenor, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar said, adding that Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar was also of the same view.
Speaking at Junnar in Pune district on Saturday after attending a virtual meeting of INDIA bloc leaders, Pawar said that Bihar chief minister’s name was suggested for the post of convenor, but the latter was of the view that a team of party chiefs should be formed instead of appointing a convenor.
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The NCP chief said it was suggested during the meeting by some that the alliance should be headed by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and most agreed to the proposal. “Some leaders suggested that Kharge should be the leader (president) of the India alliance group. Many agreed to the same... Also, it was suggested that Nitish Kumar become the convenor; many suggested it. However, Nitish Kumar refused, saying for now it is not needed,” Pawar said.
The NCP chief, however, made it clear that there was no need to project any face for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls as the leader can be chosen once the results are declared.
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“There is no need to project one face to seek votes. We will select the leader after the elections and we are confident of providing an alternative. In 1977, Morarji Desai was not projected as the prime ministerial face by the Opposition,” Pawar said, adding that it was a positive sign that several parties were coming together.
From Maharashtra, Uddhav Thackeray of Shiv Sena did not attend the meeting citing other engagements. “There shouldn’t be any misunderstanding in this regard. I have expressed my inability to attend the meeting as I had to attend a scheduled programme which involved a lot of moving around. In such a scenario, attending the meeting would have been difficult,” Thackeray said during his visit at Kalyan-Dombivali.
Pawar said he could not attend the entire virtual meeting as he had some other pre-scheduled engagements.
On being asked about seat-sharing formula among the opposition allies, Pawar said, “Candidates (for the Lok Sabha elections) were not discussed...We will discuss seat-sharing. For the Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra, seat-sharing was discussed, and we will announce once it is finalised.”
The INDIA bloc meeting discussed programmes, policies to be taken up. It was decided that a committee would be formed that will decide on holding joint rallies of the allies all over the country, he said.
On the Ram temple issue, Pawar said, “Nobody opposes the Ram temple in Ayodhya, but the political motive in holding the consecration ceremony in the temple whose construction is not yet complete is being questioned.”
