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Pawar describes Thackeray's opposition to Pak cricket team as 'foolish'

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sharad Pawar today ridiculed Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray's adamant stand on the proposed Pakistani cricket team's tour of India and his threat to call off the alliance with Bharatiya Janata Party over the issue, saying that it was only ''power that bound them together''.

Talking to the media in Bombay, Pawar described Thackeray's threat of not allowing the Pakistani cricket team in India as ''foolish''. ''He does not own the country and in the field of sports and culture, there should be no barriers,'' he said, and added that he was glad that the prime minister had taken a sensible stand over it.

Pawar also admitted that about 22 to 23 independents out of the total of 44 in the 289-member state legislative assembly were in touch with him and were eager to re-join the Congress. However, he refused to say whether the independent MLAs, who are former Congressmen are the supporters of the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance government. He said the desire of these independents to re-join the Congress posed no threat to the alliance government. These MLAs had helped the Congress during the Lok Sabha elections, he added.

The independent MLAs are disgruntled with the alliance government which had destroyed the economy of the state and put it on the verge of bankruptcy. He, however, did not feel that the state was being led to a mid-term election. ''But, if there is one, I will be the happiest person.'' For whatever time is left of the alliance government, the partners were bent on misusing the spoils of the office, he charged.

The former chief minister informed that he was not meeting the independent MLAs during his stay in the city. ''I am going to Karad and later I have to be present in the capital for the counting of the assembly elections votes there. On November 30, the winter session of Parliament commences,'' he stated.

Replying to a query, he said the All India Congress Committee will take a final decision on the re-induction of the independent MLAs into the parent party.

To a question, he said the Congress should not think of forming a government, if the alliance government collapses under its own contradictions. The saffron alliance had destroyed the administrative set-up of the state and made it bankrupt. The next government will have to take strong and sometimes unpleasant decisions to normalise the situation which would take at least three-four years.

The Congress will need to have a clear-cut majority and a strong legislative unit to take charge of the situation, he felt.

Asked whether the results of the assembly elections in Rajasthan, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh would affect the national political scene, Pawar said after the elections, the allies of the BJP government at the Centre will have to decide whether to continue supporting a ''sinking ship''.

UNI

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