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.