Written apologies to the Peasants and Workers Party (PWP) on Tuesday by the ruling Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) failed to win back the support of the former's five MLAs to the Democratic Front government in Maharashtra. The PWP deferred till tomorrow its decision on the matter.
The state government will face the confidence vote on Thursday. After five hours of closed-door discussions, during which NCP and Congress emissaries were seen entering and exiting from time to time, PWP leader Jayant Patil said another meeting was scheduled for Wednesday afternoon after which the PWP would spell out its stand on supporting the DF government to win the confidence vote.
"Our senior leader N D Patil had clearly told the government (after the five PWP MLAs withdrew support) that, first and foremost, both the Congress and the NCP would have to apologise publicly to the population of Maharasthra whom they let down by tying up with the communal forces of the Shiv Sena and the Bharatiya Janata Party," Patil said.
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He clarified that, in his personal opinion, there was no question of returning to the DF fold. He added: "Discussions are ongoing within the PWP since some members felt that we should reconsider our decision to withdraw from the government."
Patil noted that his party was displeased even with the manner in which the letters of apology were despatched by the NCP and Congress to them and added that the contents of the letters were also not to their satisfaction.
Tuesday's discussions held at the Majestic MLAs hostel where the PWP MLAs are camped witnessed efforts being made first by NCP spokesperson Vasant Chavan followed by Congress minister for revenue Ashok Chavan and industries minister Patangrao Kadam.
The discussions also covered issues related to the Enron-promoted Dabhol Power Company (DPC) -- on which the PWP and other left allies have been at loggerheads with the DF government -- as also issues related to secularism and the absence of development activities in the state, Patil said.