Congress criticises NCP for 'weakening' UPA
Congress has blamed the NCP for trying to “weaken the cohesiveness of the UPA”.
By TNN |
NEW DELHI: The inflation side show in which the Congress and the NCP have been throwing more and more criticisms at each other over the last few days took an expected turn on Friday with the Congress blaming the NCP for trying to ���weaken the cohesiveness of the UPA���. The Congress described as the ���one of the best coalitions��� that the country had seen so far.
The party���s suo motu comments came after NCP leader DP Tripathi made an indirect attack on Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Thursday. The NCP���s plaint, that the there was not enough ���democratic team spirit��� at the level of the UPA���s ���political leadership��� while praising the ���government leadership��� (a reference to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh) for the same, was returned by the Congress with strong criticism for its tie-up with the BJP in Meghalaya.
While Mr Tripathi had brought up the turn of events in Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh���where the two parties are trying to wrest control from each other in state politics���as the backdrop for his criticism, the Congress said that it was the NCP which was violating the ���essence of coalition dharma��� by tying up with a ���non-secular��� party such as BJP in the former state.
However, the Congress attack was not directed at NCP chief and Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar. Using Meghalya leader PA Sangma as the front, the Congress said the party should not be ���hostage to the subjective predilections of persons��� who had ���agendas in state politics���. Party spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi, however, refused to answer questions about what the Congress would do about NCP���s Meghalaya tie up. ���There is no view from us. To those who directly or indirectly weaken the cohesiveness of the alliance, we can say this should be avoided,��� Mr Singhvi said.
This unwillingness to squarely take on the NCP for its statements characterises the tone of the Congress��� public response. Though privately a number of Congressmen are blaming Mr Pawar for price rise and the matter even came up in the Cabinet Committee on Prices held earlier in the week, the Congress is still leaving room for a comfortable rapprochement with the NCP, if the need arises. If not, there will always more room to increase the force of their attacks on each other.
For now though, the two parties are at each other in a way that is only mock-serious. Price rise is still in the background, with the strain of the blame game running through it. All this, happening in the context of other coalition partners such as the RJD getting fidgety about the inflation, does not send out right political signals at a time when the government is already under the strain of price rise.
However, it does prepare the ground for political change in the shadow of an issue that touches the lives of people rather than merely centre around political invective.
The party���s suo motu comments came after NCP leader DP Tripathi made an indirect attack on Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Thursday. The NCP���s plaint, that the there was not enough ���democratic team spirit��� at the level of the UPA���s ���political leadership��� while praising the ���government leadership��� (a reference to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh) for the same, was returned by the Congress with strong criticism for its tie-up with the BJP in Meghalaya.
While Mr Tripathi had brought up the turn of events in Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh���where the two parties are trying to wrest control from each other in state politics���as the backdrop for his criticism, the Congress said that it was the NCP which was violating the ���essence of coalition dharma��� by tying up with a ���non-secular��� party such as BJP in the former state.
However, the Congress attack was not directed at NCP chief and Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar. Using Meghalya leader PA Sangma as the front, the Congress said the party should not be ���hostage to the subjective predilections of persons��� who had ���agendas in state politics���. Party spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi, however, refused to answer questions about what the Congress would do about NCP���s Meghalaya tie up. ���There is no view from us. To those who directly or indirectly weaken the cohesiveness of the alliance, we can say this should be avoided,��� Mr Singhvi said.
This unwillingness to squarely take on the NCP for its statements characterises the tone of the Congress��� public response. Though privately a number of Congressmen are blaming Mr Pawar for price rise and the matter even came up in the Cabinet Committee on Prices held earlier in the week, the Congress is still leaving room for a comfortable rapprochement with the NCP, if the need arises. If not, there will always more room to increase the force of their attacks on each other.
For now though, the two parties are at each other in a way that is only mock-serious. Price rise is still in the background, with the strain of the blame game running through it. All this, happening in the context of other coalition partners such as the RJD getting fidgety about the inflation, does not send out right political signals at a time when the government is already under the strain of price rise.
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However, it does prepare the ground for political change in the shadow of an issue that touches the lives of people rather than merely centre around political invective.
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