With or without NCP, Cong’s ready to fight
Gurudas Kamat, the Mumbai Congress chief, is upbeat. Having been a facilitator to importing many leaders into the party, Mr Kamat thinks his party will make it to the BMC “with or without” its alliance partner, the NCP.
By TNN |
MUMBAI: Gurudas Kamat, the Mumbai Congress chief, is upbeat. Having been a facilitator to importing many leaders into the party, Mr Kamat thinks his party will make it to the BMC “with or without” its alliance partner, the NCP.
Sitting in his office, surrounded by party workers and prospective candidates, Mr Kamat scoffed at news reports about the central leadership intervening to hammer out a Congress-NCP alliance. “We wish the NCP is with us. But this doesn’t mean that we will accept their unrealistic demand for more seats,” he said, categorically denying reports about the alliance being forced from the top.
“Our party’s central leadership has given the Mumbai unit complete freedom in deciding on the alliance. According to our assessment, the NCP should be given not more than 55 seats out of 227,” he said, indicating the end of the road for alliance talks.
Mr Kamat claimed that his party is capable of making it to the BMC on its own. “We are sure of ending the Sena-BJP’s nearly 20-year rule in Mumbai, with or without the NCP,” he said. He also claimed that the party is totally united in the city. “There is no groupism, there are no factions. Only one Congress is set to dislodge the Sena-BJP,” he asserted.
Mr Kamat believes that his party has successfully brought the Mumbai infrastructure issue back on track. “The city development will be our main plank in the forthcoming election. With the Centre announcing many infrastructure projects for Mumbai, the Congress has a lead over others,” he said. When pointed out that almost all the projects announced have not moved any further, Mr Kamat retorted: “It takes time. The process has just begun.”
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According to him, it’s not contradictory to promise infrastructure and also keep on extending the cut-off date for illegal slums. The Congress government, after committing itself to sticking to January 1, 1995 as the deadline for legalising all slums in Mumbai, now has promised to take it to the year 2000. This, Mr Kamat said, is not vote bank politics. “This shows that we are compassionate about the people. We want development with humane face,” he argued. Interestingly, Mr Kamat finds merit in Shiv Sena’s sons of the soil argument.
“The locals should have first right over resources,” he said. “But the locals always have shown the magnanimity to accommodate others.”He criticised the Sena for invoking the issue of Marathi-pride only to arouse passions before elections.
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