MUMBAI, 28 May 2007 — Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) President Sharad Pawar dismissed speculations of a reshuffle of ministers in the Congress-led Democratic Front government in Maharashtra but warned his party ministers to enhance their performances within a span of one or two months or else he himself would have to take an unpleasant and rigid action against them, indirectly hinting that those ministers who fail to perform would be sacked.
Speaking to Arab News after a daylong brainstorming session of NCP ministers, members of Parliament, legislators, municipal councilors and partymen in the Goregaon suburb of Mumbai, Pawar denied that the NCP ministers were in any way in a defensive mood.
He said their performances were not bad. Pawar further stated that there were two vacant berths in the state ministry from the NCP quota and discussions would be held soon with Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh to fill the vacant slots.
Asked if there would be any impact in the state politics following the election results in Uttar Pradesh, Pawar replied in the negative and said that the political scenario in both the states were different.
Replying to a question on his party’s stand on the presidential candidate, Pawar said that the NCP would only support the candidate selected by the United Progressive Alliance (UPA). The NCP president denied rumors of the NCP supporting Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat.
“Shekhawat is my close friend and I have cordial relations with leaders of all political parties. But friendship is a different thing, and a political stand is a different issue. NCP is an alliance partner of the UPA and therefore my party would not take a different stand but go along with the UPA,” he said.
Pawar said that he favored for a politician to be the next president of India as only a politician would be able to understand politics, as coalition politics will be a reality for the next 15 or 20 years and if a stable government is to be run successfully then the situation demands that the country would need a person who can understand the intricacies of coalition politics.
Even though political parties are against a second term nomination for President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, opinion polls of several newspapers and magazines indicate that the first choice of the people is President Kalam, but then the president himself has declined to run for a second term.
