- MUMBAI: Taking serious note of the protest lodged by Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) to the Maharashtra Congress party chief Manikarao Thakre about the irresponsible statement made by its state party spokesman Husain Dalwai against the NCP and its party chief and federal agriculture minister Sharad Pawar, the Congress reprimanded Dalwai and asked him to refrain from issuing statements against the NCP in future.
Last week Dalwai, speaking to the media in Ratnagiri district in Konkan region, had alleged that the NCP was responsible for triggering Hindu-Muslim riots in Miraj and Sangli to gain votes and get more NCP candidates elected during the state assembly polls few months ago. He had also attacked Pawar and passed some disparaging remarks against him.
Dalwai’s statement raised hue and cry in the NCP camp and provoked strong protests from the NCP. Apart from this, it also raised a controversy with Congress and NCP ministers indulging in war of words and even boycotting the weekly Cabinet meeting last week. Chief Minister Ashok Chavan had a hard time pacifying and cooling down the tempers of agitated and angry NCP ministers as he requested them to return back and attend the Cabinet meeting.