Sharad Pawar,Praful Patel offer to quit as ministers: sources

Pawar is said to be miffed over the denial of Number 2 status in the Cabinet after the exit of Pranab Mukherjee.

After the meeting,NCP spokesman D P Tripathi strongly denied reports of resignation.

Asked by reporters as to why the ministers kept away from the Cabinet meeting,he said “the pecking order was not the case as Sharad Pawar had never sought any position. Issues (for skipping the meeting) were much higher.”

Sources in the party said the resignation offers have been made to make the Congress go into the issue and talk to allies on their concerns. The Congress cannot take the allies for granted,the sources said.

The NCP leaders are expected to meet again tomorrow on the issue.

The Agriculture Minister who sat in the No. 2 seat in the first Cabinet meeting after Mukherjee’s resignation but in the next meeting the seat was taken by Defence Minister and senior Congress leader A K Antony.

This was interpreted as Congress’ way of sending a message that Antony was the virtual No. 2 in the government.

To add to NCP’s anger,Sharad Pawar’s name had appeared in the No. 2 position in the list of Cabinet ministers on the Prime Minister’s website but the list itself was removed from the official websites of the PMO and Cabinet Secretariat.

The NCP action came on a day the UPA presented a united picture during the voting for Presidential election.

NCP had on Saturday last also stayed away from the UPA meeting on Vice Presidential poll candidate.

Upset Pawar,Patel skip Cabinet meet

Unhappy over party leader Sharad Pawar being denied number two position in the government,NCP ministers today skipped the meeting of Union Cabinet here,accusing the Congress of showing “indecency” and “pettiness” towards allies.

Sulking Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar as well as Heavy Industries Minister Praful Patel skipped the meeting chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh amid a row over the pecking order in the government that has relegated the NCP chief to the third position.

While the Cabinet meeting took place at the Prime Minister’s residence at 6 PM,Sharad Pawar was closetted with Patel and Tripathi at the same time at his residence here.

The row erupted after Presidential hopeful Pranab Mukherjee,who held the de facto post of the number two,quit the government to contest the Presidential poll.

“For the first time in eight years,Mr Sharad Pawar and Mr Praful Patel did not go to the Cabinet meeting,” NCP spokesman D P Tripathi told reporters.

Asked whether the pecking order was the issue,he claimed that Pawar had never sought any position and the “issues (for skipping the meeting) were much higher”.

Queried about the future course of action by NCP,he merely said,”We will discuss in the party.”

NCP sources,however,stated that the party was unhappy at the way the Congress was running the coalition.

Accusing the Congress of being on “collision course while running the coalition”,a party source alleged that Congress was showing “indecency and pettiness. There was some arrangement. They disturbed it.”

The reference was to Sharad Pawar having the third place in the pecking order after the Prime Minister and Mukherjee,then Finance Minister. The party feels that after Mukherjee left the government to contest the Presidential poll,Pawar should have been automatically elevated to the number two position.

Demonstrating the severe unhappiness in NCP,a party leader said,”we are colleagues and not servants,sycophants or doormat of the Congress party.”

The controversy was triggered after the chair next to the Prime Minister was allocated to Defence Minister A K Antony at the last Cabinet meeting,signalling that he was now the number two in the government.

Sharad Pawar was allocated the seat next to Antony,apparently upsetting him as he used to sit at the same place when Mukherjee was in the government.

NCP had on Saturday last also stayed away from the UPA meeting on Vice Presidential poll candidate.

The trouble with NCP came at a time when the Congress was regaling at the Trinamool Congress’ U-turn to back PranabMukherjee’s candidature for the post of President.

On whether the NCP is planning to pull out of the government,Praful Patel said,”there is no such thing”.