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Is Congress secular? RR Patil flays party for inducting Rane

Is Congress secular? RR Patil flays party for inducting Rane

Author: Express News Service
Publication: The Indian Express
Date: August 11, 2005

Introduction: Says former Sena leader has been mocking secularism

Deputy Chief Min¬ister and NCP leader R R Patil to¬day lambasted the Congress for admitting a "communal" leader Narayan Rane into its fold and questioned the secular credentials of the party.

His outbursts came close on the heels of state Con¬gress president Prabha Rau criticising him for blaming the Karnataka government for the floods in southern Maharashtra.

The occasion was the ad¬mission of a senior Con¬gress leader from Kurla and a member of the Central Wakf Board Faki Habibul Rehman Abbas into the NCP.

Faki said that he was im¬pressed with the relief work done by the NCP in Kurla after the deluge and was convinced that it was a bet¬ter party than the Congress.

Taking a cue from him, Patil said that Faki's gesture was an example that the NCP was the secular party, not the Congress.

"The Congress party which brags about secular¬ism has formed alliances with communal parties in places like Sangli and Kol¬hapur in the past," he pointed out, "And now they have admitted a person (Narayan Rane), who had been making fun of secular¬ism for 39 years when he was in a communal party."

He added that after Rane becoming a Congressman, the secularist credentials of the party were questionable. He said that the NCP was the true secularist party. Ironically, Rane was also wooed by the NCP and its chief Sharad Pawar had claimed that Rane was in touch with him for two months prior to his revolt that shook the Shiv Sena.

Without naming Rane, Patil said that some leaders were undertaking tours of floodhit areas for a show of strength for political rea¬sons and were more interested in publicity than actu¬ally helping the victims. Patil's outbursts have come after Rau criticising him on the Almatty dam issue.

Patil had blamed the Kar¬nataka government for not opening the gates of the dam to release excess wa¬ters, thereby causing back¬waters to rise in southern Maharashtra. The Congress had refused to endorse his view for political, reasons.

Late in the night, Patil de¬nied making any statement.
 


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