NCP, a key constituent of UPA coalition at the Centre, wants the entire alliance to face the next Lok Sabha elections together and feels it will “not be easy” for the Government to go ahead with the Indo-US nuclear deal with the Left parties’ serious opposition to it. The party also thinks that Lok Sabha elections will be held at the “normal time” next year and there will be no snap polls. It endorsed as “pragmatic” the views of External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee that the deal is not worth risking the Government.“Our desire is to contest elections along with Congress. We feel the UPA should collectively fight the elections. We will prefer to fight along with UPA partners throughout the country like we do in Maharashtra and Goa,” Agriculture Minister and NCP leader Sharad Pawar said during an interaction with journalists on Friday.He categorically rejected the possibility of going with the BJP and suggested that nothing should be read in the saffron party giving outside support to the coalition Government in Meghalaya in which NCP plays an important role.Pawar, who is a member of the UPA-Left Committee on the nuclear deal, gave indications that it would be difficult to push through the deal in the face of Left opposition.“It is a coalition government and we are running it with the support of Left and it is very valuable. If any of our supporters are raising any concerns, then it is the responsibility of those sitting in the seat of power to explain to them and remove their concerns. We are in the process of doing it,” he said. Asked if the Left parties were amenable to persuasion, Pawar said “they have made some suggestions and we have to take precautions. If they (Left) have not insisted on them, we may not have taken these precautions like the process of discussions and negotiations.Asked about Mukherjee’s remarks on the deal, Pawar said “they are absolutely pragmatic. I said this one year back. If we can continue as a majority then we can take a decision. But if we lose the majority, then we cannot take a decision.To a question whether it can be said categorically if the nuclear deal is on or off, he said “I can’t say that...if we can convince them (Left)”.He disagreed with a questioner that the UPA and the Left allies were indulging in a hide-and-seek game over the deal and said the Left parties are an important ally and their concerns need to be addressed. Asked whether UPA would project a Prime Minister candidate to counter L K Advani, Pawar said Congress as a major party had to take a decision but he had not seen for a number of years the party doing so.To a question whether he would accept projection of Sonia Gandhi, the Minister shot back “she has alre-ady said that I am not interested in becoming Prime Minister.”Pawar said there was “nothing fishy” in his meeting with Shiv Sena Supremo Bal Thackeray and pointed out that despite being severe critics of each other in political life they have maintained good personal relations for the last 40 years. On the controversy over MNS chief Raj Thackeray’s criticism of north Indians, he said people of Maharashtra have never supported such forces.
