Have to keep options open in coalition era,says NCP

He also attacked Modis close aide Amit Shah and compared him to Adolf Hitlers propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels.

The NCP,which sent its representative to the convention of non-Congress,non-BJP parties with the Left forming the nucleus,Wednesday said it has to keep its options open in a coalition era even as the Congress sought to play down its allys participation in the event.

Senior NCP leader D P Tripathi shared the stage with Left leaders and the likes of Nitish Kumar,Mulayam Singh Yadav,H D Deve Gowda and representatives of the BJD,the AIAMDK and the AGP. Tripathi said although his party is part of the UPA government,it remained committed to oppose communalism.

But NCP leader and Heavy Industry Minister Praful Patel was more forthright. This is an era of coalition politics and in such a situation,you need to keep options open to work with other parties, he said.

Story continues below this ad

The Congress said the NCP was free to decide and it respects its decisions. Our alliance with the party is in Maharashtra and at the Centre. In other states,they fight their political battle separately. The NCP has its own rights. We have full respect for what they do, AICC spokesperson Raj Babbar said.

The Congress feels the coming together of the parties on the issue of communalism will only help counter BJPs prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi and strengthen the secularism versus communalism political discourse. Babbar said there is a view in the party that,with so many parties flagging the same concern against communalism,people will realise the Congress is not the only party attacking Modi.

Asked whether the convention could lead to the formation of a third front at the cost of the Congress,Babbar pointed out that there was no talk of formation of any front at the convention.

He also attacked Modis close aide Amit Shah and compared him to Adolf Hitlers propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels.