Pawar to sue Chavan for remark on Aurangabad riots

Pawar pointed out that he was not a `senior’ Congress leader in 1988 as claimed by Chavan, but was only a member of the Legislative Assembly. He said Chavan, as Union Home Minister, should have acted on the IB reports and by not doing so, had `favoured’ him and consequently breached theoath taken while assuming office that he would perform his duty without fear or favour.

Pawar said no party would get a clear majority in the Lok Sabha and added that there would be a hung Parliament. In Maharashtra, he claimed, the NCP would sweep the Vidhan Sabha polls as the people were fed up of the Shiv Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party Government.

On coming to power at the Centre, he said Deve Gowda, with 17 members, could become prime minister. He said his party would not forge an alliance with the BJP and the Sena but added other parties were free to amend their policies and support the third front.

Pawar reiterated that after coming to power in Maharashtra, his party’s government would implement the Justice Srikrishna Commission recommendations on the Mumbai riots. Pawar lambasted the BJP for “celebrating victory” over the Kargil war, stating that the BJP-led Government’s laxity had led to the loss of Indian Army personnel’s lives.

Addressing a public rally at the Nashik Agriculture ProduceMarketing Committee premises, Pawar said even as the intruders entered 114 km into Indian territory, the BJP-led Government had no idea of the ground situation, which eventually led to the combat and loss of lives. He said the BJP-led Government, which failed to take prompt measures, had no right to celebrate victory or ask for votes on the Kargil issue. He said the Government’s failure was “unpardonable” and the voters should ask for an explanation from the BJP, adding but for the valour and sacrifices by the Army personnel, India would have lost Kargil, Leh and Siachen.

He criticised his opponents for accusing him of harbouring ambitions of becoming Prime Minister. He said when Sonia Gandhi, who had only 13 months of political experience could think of becoming Prime Minister, he, with 41 years of political experience, including 33 years in the State Legislature and Parliament and four times Maharashtra Chief Minister, was not committing any crime in aspiring for the prime minister’s chair.

On thepolitical situation in Maharashtra, he said youngsters who were frustrated with the Shiv Sena for not having ushered in Shivshahi, would help his party wrest power in the Assembly elections, apart from farmers, workers, Dalits and women. He said the State had witnessed extortions by the rulers and their supporters in the last five years.