The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) will organise its national convention on May 11 this year in Patna where it will also elect its chairperson, its general secretary Tariq Anwar today said.
"The NCP national executive has accepted the request of party members to hold the convention in Patna on May 11 as Bihar is going to polls later this year" he told reporters.
Anwar said senior leaders including chairperson Sharad Pawar, Praful Patel, Chhagan Bhujbal, Ajit Pawar and party MPs, MLAs and other functionaries from different parts of the country would attend the convention.
The NCP organises its national convention at every three years. The previous one was organised at Vadodara in Gujarat in 2012. Bihar last hosted it in 2005.
Speaking further on the occasion, Anwar demanded the Centre compensate the financial loss which Bihar would incur due to the recommendations of the 14th Finance Commission.
He pointed out that the Bihar would suffer a loss of Rs 50,000 crore in five years due to the Commission's recommendations and accused the Centre of discriminating against the state.
"Our party demands special economic package for the state to compensate the financial loss," he said.
Expressing concern over attack on worship places across the country and the rape of a nun in West Bengal earlier this month, Anwar accused the Narendra Modi government at the Centre for putting social and religious harmony in the country in danger.
"The BJP, RSS and ministers of Modi cabinet have been giving provocative and controversial speeches. It has resulted in increasing social and communal distress. This is a worrisome issue," he said.
Anwar welcomed the efforts of the merger of Janata Parivar parties and said it was high time "secular forces in the country come together to check communal forces, which are rearing their head in the country."
Asked whether NCP would enter into an alliance with any other party during the Bihar Assembly elections, Anwar added, "We want an alliance of secular parties to come up, in which our party will also get an honourable representation.
