Not interested in UPA chairperson post, says Pawar

Days after his party’s youth wing passed a resolution for his appointment as the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on Sunday said he was not interested in the post and would not like to take up such a responsibility

Days after his party’s youth wing passed a resolution for his appointment as the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on Sunday said he was not interested in the post and would not like to take up such a responsibility. He, however, expressed his readiness to help if attempts were made to bring all the opposition parties under a united front against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar. File Photo

“I am not going to take up the responsibility for leading the front. Recently, our youths [NCP youth wing] passed a resolution making me the UPA chief. I have zero interest in it. I am not going to become embroiled in this. However, if efforts are made in this regard [to form a united opposition front], then I am ready to support, help, and cooperate,” Pawar said in Kolhapur.

Currently, Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi heads the UPA.

Atul Londhe, chief spokesperson, state Congress unit, said the NCP chief was aware of the fact that only Congress had the capability to lead the UPA.

“Since the beginning, Pawar saheb has maintained his stand that Congress can lead the UPA. Demands made by some is a different thing but Pawar saheb is aware of the fact that only Congress can lead the front,” Londhe said.

Pawar said taking Congress along for a united opposition front would be a practical decision. “When people say opposition parties should come together then the facts cannot be ignored. Mamata Banerjee’s party [Trinamool Congress] is very strong in West Bengal and has people’s support. Others also have their own power centres in their respective states but Congress is the only party that has a pan-India presence. It might not be in power, but Congress workers can be found in every district and village.”

The NCP chief further said he agreed with Union minister Nitin Gadkari’s comments on the need for Congress to be a strong opposition party. “To strengthen the parliamentary democracy, it is necessary to have a strong opposition but if we talk only about one party, then we may [end up having another Vladimir] Putin [in India]. Today Putin and China [leadership] have passed resolutions that their regime will continue until their death, so we need a strong opposition to ensure we don’t have a Putin.”

The former Union minister said West Bengal chief minister Banerjee wanted he and Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray to hold a meeting in Mumbai to discuss the possibility of a strategy to field a common candidate for the July Presidential polls. “We have yet to discuss it as other regional parties also have to come on board.”

He accused the BJP-led Central government of creating a religious divide for political benefit, saying it was dangerous for the country. He also said the movie, The Kashmir Files, was being used to promote animosity towards minorities.

“This movie is not based on facts. It is meant to promote hatred among communities. If the head of the country says this film needs to be watched then it means communal poison is being spread in society and religious differences are being created among people. If we want to be developed then there should not be any differences among people of castes, religions, and languages,” Pawar said.

In response to a question related to Gujarat riots, he said that violence was far more terrible than the exodus of Kashmir Pandits and he had never seen the then chief minister (of Gujarat) giving any explanation for it.

Pawar slammed Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray over his Saturday speech where the latter took a pro-Hindutva stand. “He goes underground for a few months, comes back, gives a lecture, and then again disappears for the next few months. Earlier, he used to oppose the BJP-led Modi government but now he has a change of mind. Now, it appears he is supporting BJP; I don’t know what he will be doing tomorrow. He praised BJP’s rule in Uttar Pradesh where farmers were crushed under vehicles in Lakhimpur Kheri. I don’t want to comment if he believes in that sort of rule [in Maharashtra].”