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Pawar embarrasses Congress again

Senior Congress leader Sharad Pawar has reiterated his stand that the Bharatiya Janata Party government in Gujarat should be dismissed for failing to take action on the attacks on Christians.

He said this in Kolhapur, notwithstanding the official Congress line that the Keshubhai Patel ministry need not be sacked for the time being.

Congress officials have been maintaining for the last two days that Pawar adhered to the view that the Centre need only invoke Article 355 to warn the Gujarat government.

Party spokesperson Ajit Jogi, for his part, claimed that he had spoken to Pawar on the matter, and would shortly issue a statement clarifying the position. Though party officials made Pawar's recent statement available to him while he was briefing the press, he avoided reading it, claiming it pertained to navy chief Admiral Bhagwat's sacking.

Pawar had demanded invoking Article 356 to dismiss the Gujarat government three days earlier at Cochin.

UNI

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