Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar on Sunday said he does not have any interest in becoming the chairperson of the United Progressive Alliance, reported News18. Pawar made the remarks in an attempt to dismiss reports that he was set to take over the position.
“I don’t have the time or inclination to be UPA chairperson,” Pawar told the news channel. “There is no question of any such proposal.” The NCP chief made the remarks in a phone conversation with News18.
Pawar also clarified that if the Shiv Sena supported him as the next UPA chief, it was the party’s stand and not the NCP chief’s. He also urged people not to “drag his name” into this controversy. Shiv Sena’s mouthpiece Saamna had on Saturday called the Congress “feeble and disintegrated”.
The editorial also called for all the parties against the Bharatiya Janata Party, including Shiv Sena, to unite under the UPA banner to present a formidable alternative to the ruling party at the Centre, reported India Today. The Maharashtra government was formed after an alliance between long-term BJP ally Shiv Sena, the NCP, and the Congress.
“NCP chief Sharad Pawar is an independent personality at the national level,” the editorial said. “In West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee is waging a lonely battle. The country’s Opposition party should stand by her at this time. Mamata Banerjee has contacted only Pawar and he is going to Bengal. But this should have been done under the leadership of the Congress.”
However, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Saturday dismissed speculation that his party wanted Pawar to be the UPA chairperson. “We have not said Sharad Pawar should be made the UPA chairperson,” he told The Indian Express.
Meanwhile, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Sunday that selection of the UPA chief was not akin to choosing a prime minister. “I don’t think even Sharad Pawar wants to be declared as the chairperson of the UPA...” Chidambaram said, according to ANI. “When these parties meet, the natural person to extend the invitation and the natural person to preside over the meeting will be the leader of the largest party; we are not selecting a prime minister.
Chidambaram also said there was “no such thing as chairperson of UPA”. He explained that if other parties in the UPA called for a meeting then the Congress will attend. But if his party called the meeting, it was “only natural” that one of the Congress leaders would preside over it. The former finance minister also highlighted that the Congress had the largest strength in Parliament out of all the UPA allies.
This comes after continued speculation over the next Congress chief. Several Congress leaders have expressed the need for introspection about the party’s repeated poor performance in elections. However, while a few senior politicians in the party have criticised its functioning, some have defended the leadership of the Gandhis, triggering an infighting.
In August, at least 23 Congress leaders, including Kapil Sibal, Tharoor, Prithviraj Chavan and Milind Deora, had written to Sonia Gandhi, asking for a complete revamp of the party’s organisation. Tharoor had also called for holding elections to appoint the party chief. He had, however, maintained that the elections should be held if Rahul Gandhi does not wish to take over as the party president.
On December 19, Sonia Gandhi met several senior leaders of her party, including the “dissenters”. The meeting was billed to be a crucial one with matters like revival of the party, upcoming Assembly elections and the farmers’ protest.
A day before the meeting, Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala had said that the party would soon begin the process to elect a new president and claimed that 99.9% of the members wanted Rahul Gandhi to be chosen for the post. “We are one family and we will sort it out,” he had said.
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