Pawar defends LDF tie-up with INL

By Our Staff Reporter

KOCHI, MAY 2. Compared to the RSS or VHP, the Indian National League, which is being supported by the LDF in the Assembly election, is not a communal party, according to Mr. Sharad Pawar.

The Nationalist Congress Party leader, who is currently campaigning for the LDF in Kerala, told a meet-the-press programme here on Wednesday that the NCP was part of the LDF decision to support the INL.

He later called on the INL chief, Mr. Ibrahim Sulaiman Sait, at his home here.

The NCP runs the Government in Maharashtra in alliance with the Congress, while in Meghalaya it shares power with the BJP. At the same time, even as the NCP is an ally of the LDF in Kerala, The party contests 71 seats against the LDF in West Bengal.

He explained that his party had allied with the Congress in Maharashtra to form a Government as otherwise the Shiv Sena would have come to power. In Meghalaya, he claimed, the NCP had to ally with the BJP to fight the insurgents and to keep the nation's integrity in view of certain regional parties trying to break the State away from India. As for West Bengal, his party was not part of the LDF as the latter had a traditional set of partners.

Mr. Pawar, who took offence when a newsman questioned the easy virtues of his party, however, claimed that the decisions on alliances had been taken consciously keeping the ground realities in mind. His was a small party trying to make its presence felt in several States. For instance, it had fielded 81 candidates in Assam and had no allies. This was with a view to building the party.

Mr. Pawar said his party was interested in finding an alternative to the Congress and the BJP to rule the country. However, asked if it would join the Third Front, he said it `would not take a hurried decision.'

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Section  : State Elections
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