Search:



The Web

Rediff








Home > Assembly Elections 2004 > PTI > Report

Now, Pawar castigates Cong on JMM pact

January 10, 2005 22:22 IST
Last Updated: January 10, 2005 22:33 IST


Castigating the Congress for not consulting United Progressive Alliance partners before forging an alliance with the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha for Jharkhand assembly elections, Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar on Monday threatened that the UPA allies would isolate the Congress during the polls.

"If the Congress does not change its approach towards the alliance partners in the UPA government, then we [Rashtriya Janata Dal, Communist Party of India, Communist Party of Indian (Marxist) and the NCP] will have no other choice but to contest the coming Assembly elections in Bihar, Jharkhand and Haryana sans it," Pawar said in Mumbai.

"It is unfortunate that the Congress has taken a decision of contesting the elections in alliance with the JMM without even consulting allies in the UPA government," he said.

As per the electoral understanding between the Congress and the JMM for next month's polls, JMM would contest 35 seats and the Congress 33.

The NCP chief, who is also the Union Agriculture Minister, pointed out that the Congress had only 145 of the 300 members of the UPA.

He also did not find anything wrong with the ruckus created by RJD chief Lalu Prasad over the Congress-JMM agreement. Pawar said, "Everyone fought the Lok Sabha elections together and the contribution of the RJD was substantial and cannot be neglected."

 



Article Tools
Email this article
Top emailed links
Print this article
Write us a letter
Discuss this article


Related Stories


Paswan woos Cong, JD (U)

Sonia hosts dinner for allies

Tributes pour in for Rao















Copyright © 2004 rediff.com India Limited. All Rights Reserved.