Amidst the ongoing verbal duel between the members of the civil society and senior union ministers on the Lok Pal bill, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), a key member of the Congress led UPA government, took a crucial decision to appeal to prime minister Manmohan Singh to convene an all-party meeting for a detailed debate ahead of the monsoon session of the parliament.
At its office bearers’ meeting chaired by the party president and agriculture minister Sharad Pawar on the occasion of its 12th anniversary day on Friday, NCP also took a firm stand the PM and the judiciary should not be brought into the Lok Pal’s jurisdiction.
A party general secretary, who did not want to be identified, told Business Standard, “The proposed bill is quite crucial and needs to be discussed at an all-party meet before being tabled in the parliament. There are several contentious issues involved in the passage of the bill as the civil society members and various political parties have different views on bringing the office of the prime minister and the judiciary under the Lok Pal’s jurisdiction. NCP wants both should not be covered in the Lok Pal’s jurisdiction. A formal request to the prime minister for convening an all-party meeting will be soon made by the our parliamentary wing.”
When contacted, Pawar confirmed the party’s proposal for an all-party meeting on the Lok Pal bill.
At the meeting attended by union heavy industries minister Praful Patel, the office bearers also expressed serious displeasure over the manner in which the Ramdev issue was handled by the government. “There was a consensus the senior ministers should not have gone to the airport and the hotel to meet Ramdev. Besides, the permission should not have been granted for such a gathering, knowing it would turn into a political agitation, instead of a yoga workshop,” the party MP said.
Further, the office bearers were unanimous there was no question of NCP’s merger with the Congress. Instead, they insisted that NCP’s independent identity be maintained and all efforts be made to increase presence across the country. At the party’s rally held in the Mumbai’s eastern suburbs, P A Sangma, former Lok Sabha speaker, claimed that NCP, one of the parties formed by former Congress leaders, had not only survived during last 12 years, but had grown from strength to strength. He noted the party had elected representatives in a couple of states. NCP’s stand is quite crucial when Pawar, his nephew and Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar were under attack for their alleged involvement in land deals.
The party general secretary said “NCP will fight ensuing assembly elections in Gujarat, Manipur, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh in an iance with the Congress or alone. The decision will be taken in due course after knowing the Congress party’s stand in this regard.”
