Cong issues gag order on NCP alliance

The Congress on Wednesday cautioned party leaders against airing views about the party’s alliance with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in public.

“NCP is our coalition partner in Maharashtra as well as at the Centre. Till we are in coalition,no individual Congress worker should express any personal opinion through the media,” AICC media cell chairman Janardan Dwivedi told reporters here. He said no partyman had the right to comment on the issue publicly and that individual opinion should be conveyed to the party leadership.

The directive came a day after Congress president Sonia Gandhi and NCP chief Sharad Pawar shared platform in Mumbai at the inauguration ceremony of the Bandra-Worli sealink. Pawar is reported to have proposed that the sealink be named after Rajiv Gandhi.

Former Maharashtra chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh and Union Minister Prithviraj Chavan had earlier advocated snapping ties with the NCP ahead of the Assembly election in the state.