<p>The Congress party’s plans to be aggressive against the Modi government in Parliament do not appear to have the support of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar.<br /><br /></p>.<p>As Congress and other opposition parties staged a walkout in the Rajya Sabha expressing dissatisfaction over Finance Minister Arun Jaitley’s reply to the discussion on inflation, Pawar and his partymen remained in their seats.<br /><br />Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad had conveyed to the NCP supremo the Congress’ plans to walkout from the House after Jaitley’s reply. <br /><br />It is learnt that Pawar expressed his disapproval contending that a government should be given at least six to eight months to prove its mettle.<br /><br />The Congress made light of the issue with AICC spokesman Anand Sharma blaming it on the party’s shortcomings in floor coordination.<br /><br />“What you have said has not escaped our attention,” Sharma said when pointed out that Pawar remained in the House while the Congress and other opposition members staged a walkout.<br /><br />“The Congress took a last minute decision to walkout. There could have been some communication gap,” NCP spokesperson D P Tripathi told Deccan Herald when asked to comment on the NCP not joining the walkout.<br /><br />Pawar had sought clarification from Jaitley on the issue of sugarcane farmers and even expressed his dissatisfaction with the reply he had received.<br /><br />Pawar’s action is seen as a signal to the Congress that he would not play second fiddle to the Grand Old Party. His stand could prove to be worrisome for the Congress which runs a coalition government in Maharashtra with the NCP as its junior partner.<br /><br />In the recent Lok Sabha elections, the NCP won four seats in Maharashtra while the Congress could manage just two victories. Against this backdrop, the NCP has demanded a re-working of the seat sharing formula and staked claim to 50 per cent of the 288 assembly seats.<br /><br />A large section of NCP leaders have also stepped up pressure on the Congress by expressing their desire to go alone in the Assembly elections scheduled for October.</p>
<p>The Congress party’s plans to be aggressive against the Modi government in Parliament do not appear to have the support of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar.<br /><br /></p>.<p>As Congress and other opposition parties staged a walkout in the Rajya Sabha expressing dissatisfaction over Finance Minister Arun Jaitley’s reply to the discussion on inflation, Pawar and his partymen remained in their seats.<br /><br />Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad had conveyed to the NCP supremo the Congress’ plans to walkout from the House after Jaitley’s reply. <br /><br />It is learnt that Pawar expressed his disapproval contending that a government should be given at least six to eight months to prove its mettle.<br /><br />The Congress made light of the issue with AICC spokesman Anand Sharma blaming it on the party’s shortcomings in floor coordination.<br /><br />“What you have said has not escaped our attention,” Sharma said when pointed out that Pawar remained in the House while the Congress and other opposition members staged a walkout.<br /><br />“The Congress took a last minute decision to walkout. There could have been some communication gap,” NCP spokesperson D P Tripathi told Deccan Herald when asked to comment on the NCP not joining the walkout.<br /><br />Pawar had sought clarification from Jaitley on the issue of sugarcane farmers and even expressed his dissatisfaction with the reply he had received.<br /><br />Pawar’s action is seen as a signal to the Congress that he would not play second fiddle to the Grand Old Party. His stand could prove to be worrisome for the Congress which runs a coalition government in Maharashtra with the NCP as its junior partner.<br /><br />In the recent Lok Sabha elections, the NCP won four seats in Maharashtra while the Congress could manage just two victories. Against this backdrop, the NCP has demanded a re-working of the seat sharing formula and staked claim to 50 per cent of the 288 assembly seats.<br /><br />A large section of NCP leaders have also stepped up pressure on the Congress by expressing their desire to go alone in the Assembly elections scheduled for October.</p>
