Advani open to Pune pattern in states, Centre

The Pune pattern, where the NCP supported by the Shiv Sena grabbed power from the ruling Congress in civic polls two months ago...

The Pune pattern, where the NCP supported by the Shiv Sena grabbed power from the ruling Congress in civic polls two months ago, drew praise from Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha L K Advani today.

Calling the NCP-Shiv Sena-BJP alliance to keep the Congress out of power in Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) “highly significant”, Advani hinted at the possibility of repeating such alliances at the state and even the national level. “I told the Mayor (Rajlakshmi Bhosale) that your election is a significant development,” he said.

“Our alliance experience in the NDA was happy and we would like to continue that if there are parties willing to support us,” Advani said when specifically asked if his party would consider an alliance with Sharad Pawar’s NCP in state and national politics. “The NCP has openly declared that it is willing to consider all options for future alliance,” he added as an afterthought.

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Addressing the media at Symbiosis Vishwa Bhavan in Pune, Advani said the BJP would welcome any move that will see the exit of the non-performing Vilasrao Deshmukh government. “After the tragic death of Pramod Mahajan, the BJP-Shiv Sena along with NCP had successfully supported Rahul Bajaj’s candidature for the Rajya Sabha,” he said.

He castigated the Centre and the state government for farmers’ suicides in Maharashtra but refused to blame Union Minister for Agriculture Sharad Pawar. When asked whether Pawar’s commitments as BCCI chief were affecting his performance as minister, Advani said, “These things are repeatedly said about him. But I feel that as long as he can do justice to both tasks there should not be a problem.”

However, Advani was scathing when it came to the UPA government’s failures—rising prices of essential commodities, poor internal security, infiltration from Bangladesh and SEZ policies.

“The UPA’s failure to end the anguish of farmers led them to mass suicides. And SEZs have only worsened the tragedy,” Advani added while clarifying that Gujarat was the only exception to this because farmers there did not oppose SEZs. He said BJP would emerge as the single largest party in Uttar Pradesh polls.

Sena ready to support Sharad Pawar as PM

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New Delhi: Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray is ready to support NCP President Sharad Pawar for the post of prime minister in case he decides to join a third front. But Thackeray is opposed to Sonia Gandhi occupying the same post as she is “imported stuff”.

“Yes, I will certainly support Pawar. He has been a very good friend of mine and in case he decides to join the third front after the Uttar Pradesh elections, I will support his candidature for the post of prime minister,” Thackeray said on Aaj Tak’s Seedhi Baat programme on Sunday. Thackeray called Rahul Gandhi a “popat” when asked about the young MP’s recent comments on the role of his family in the creation of Bangladesh. “Leave that aside, he is a popat. I agree that (former prime minister) Indira (Gandhi) had a role in the creation of Bangladesh, but it was Mujib-ur-Rehman who was instrumental in its creation,” he said. PTI