Dalwai speaking to journalists on Tuesday night, labeled the NCP as a party of “rioters” and bitterly criticized the NCP supremo and federal Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar. This led to widespread anger amongst NCP workers and provoked strong reactions from NCP ministers who objected to the statement of Dalwai and took the Congress to task in the Cabinet meeting. The state Congress spokesman told journalists that the NCP cannot win more than 60 to 62 assembly seats under the leadership of Pawar, whose limitations have been exposed.
“The NCP, in order to win two or four more seats and increase its tally in the recently concluded state assembly polls, instigated and triggered the Hindu-Muslim communal riots in Sangli. And the riots in Sangli were planned and triggered by the NCP,” Dalwai alleged.
“Pawar is now fully aware that the NCP cannot make any further growth and the party has no development agenda, In these circumstances, I would advise Pawar to merge the NCP with the Congress,” Dalwai said.
Senior NCP ministers demanded clarification on the statement by Dalwai and asked whether the statement was part of the Congress policy. Chief Minister Ashok Chavan then clarified that the statement made by Dalwai was his own and not the view point of the Congress party. Only after the chief minister’s clarification did the official work of the Cabinet began.
Meanwhile, the NCP leaders also criticized the statement of Dalwai. The state unit president of the NCP Madhukar Pichad and home minister RR Patil at a press conference on Tuesday evening said that Dalwai’s statement was best ignored. They said that Dalwai’s attitude would create a rift among the two allies and become an obstacle in the smooth relations between NCP and Congress.
Pichad stated that a complaint against Dalwai had been lodged with the state Congress chief Manikarao Thakre who assured him that a stern warning would be given to Dalwai.
Expressing his anger, Patil sarcastically stated, “Dalwai can speak anything. He is completely free to make any kind of statement and he is excused for everything.
“The Sangli riots investigations are in progress. Let them be completed. We will know the outcome and after that we will clear our stand,” Patil stated.
