A week into the standoff between the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) over losses suffered in the 2014 State Assembly polls, senior Congress leader Narayan Rane on Sunday stepped in and advised the warring sides to concentrate on the ruling Sena-BJP combine instead.
With the Legislative Council polls slated to be held by 2016-end and the Congress-NCP likely to contest it as an alliance, Mr. Rane seems to have swung into action to calm frayed tempers. In a tweet, Mr. Rane said, “It is now time to stop doing this [fighting] between ourselves and required to face the BJP-Sena government on ground on the issues which cause harm to the people of this state.”
Last week, former NCP MP Praful Patel held former Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan responsible for the Congress-NCP alliance’s defeat in the Assembly elections. He even alleged that probes ordered by Mr. Chavan worked against the alliance in the elections. Mr. Patel was seconded by former Deputy Chief Minister and NCP leader Ajit Pawar, who blamed Mr. Chavan in an interview to a web portal.
Stung by the continuous criticism, Mr. Chavan had hit out at the NCP leadership questioning the hand behind the inquiry against Mr. Pawar in the alleged irrigation scam.
The Congress leader, without naming anyone, said the then Home Minister and NCP leader R.R. Patil was directed by “someone powerful” to initiate the probe, indicating it was NCP chief Sharad Pawar himself.
Mr. Chavan had alleged that the only reason behind the NCP attacking him was his stand on an equal share for the Congress in the six Council seats up for grabs, which will be contested through local bodies. While the Congress has claim to one seat from Nanded, it may demand seats from Satara and Bhandara-Gondia, considered as Mr. Patel’s homeground.
