Congress reaches out, Sharad Pawar plays hardball

A day after agriculture minister Sharad Pawar threatened to walk out of the government, his Nationalist Congress Party and the Congress insisted the alliance was intact. HT reports. Pawar play in UPA

A day after agriculture minister Sharad Pawar threatened to walk out of the government, his Nationalist Congress Party and the Congress insisted the alliance was intact. But the tension between the two allies was all too clear as the NCP said areas of conflict remained and came out with a set of demands.

The NCP chief — whose latest beef with the government is allegedly over losing out on the number two spot after Pranab Mukherjee’s departure — met both Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Friday. Singh publicly described Pawar as "a very valued colleague whose knowledge, wisdom and experience are a great asset to our government".

And in a possible move to placate him, Pawar was named head of the empowered group of ministers on drought-related issues.

Later, NCP leader and minister for heavy industries Praful Patel — who with Pawar had 'boycotted' Thursday's cabinet meeting — told a press conference the NCP continues to be an "integral" part of the UPA. But he added: "We are unhappy with some aspects that have been raised by Pawar in personal meetings with the PM and Sonia Gandhi."

He rubbished reports that Pawar was hankering to go up the pecking order.

In the evening, the Congress core committee discussed the matter and a key Congress functionary claimed all issues had been settled.

But NCP sources said some matters remained unresolved and the problems between the two parties are of a "political" and "administrative" nature. The NCP, they said, is miffed at the way the Congress takes unilateral decisions.

The party has placed three demands before the government: revival of the UPA coordination committee with the NCP as its convenor, a say in the appointment of governors as well as in the selection of the candidate for the Rajya Sabha deputy chairman elections.

Back-channel talks are currently on. Another area of conflict, Congress managers feel, is power minister Sushilkumar Shinde's possible elevation as leader of the Lok Sabha, which may affect Pawar's political standing in Maharashtra. Sources said the NCP also feels squeezed in the coalition arrangement in Maharashtra, where the party shares power with the Congress.

On Thursday, Pawar had written to both the PM and Gandhi, saying the NCP — with nine Lok Sabha MPs — is a "small party" and "doesn't confer stature". He also reportedly wrote that he requires time to strengthen his party — seen as a hint that he might pull out of the cabinet.