ELECTIONS '98
COMMENTARY
SPECIALS
INTERVIEWS
CAPITAL BUZZ
REDIFF POLL
DEAR REDIFF
THE STATES
YEH HAI INDIA!
ARCHIVES

Sena-BJP to support Kalmadi, but only if he damns Cong, Pawar in writing

The ruling Shiv Sena and Bharatiya Janata Party alliance in Maharashtra finally announced on Tuesday its support for the candidature of Suresh Kalmadi. The former Congress minister of state for railways is contesting as an Independent candidate from the Pune Lok Sabha constituency under the banner of the Pune Vikas Aghadi.

The alliance's support to Kalmadi was announced at a news conference in his presence by Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray and the BJP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Gopinath Munde.

Thackeray said he had conceded the BJP request for extending the alliance's support to Kalmadi after the latter gave in writing that he would not return to the Congress under any circumstances in case he won the election. Thackeray declined to disclose the contents of the letter, but he described it as a prem patra (love letter) and said it could be used as evidence in case Kalmadi went back on his word on not rejoining the Congress after the poll.

Kalmadi denied that he had given any affidavit to Thackeray and said what he had given the Sena leader was in the nature of a personal letter clarifying his stand and informing him that he had quit the Congress forever.

Thackeray said he decided to extend his party's support to Kalmadi only after getting all his doubts removed about the latter's (Kalmadi's) relations with his political mentor Sharad Pawar, whom the Sena regarded as its arch political rival, after he satisfied all his queries and gave in writing that he would not return to the Congress.

Kalmadi, who shared the dais with Thackeray and Munde at the news conference, said he had quit the Congress and there was no question of his going back to the party again. He also declared an end to his friendship with Pawar.

Replying to a question, Kalmadi said, "We had differences with Pawar for long time over his nephew Ajit Pawar's style of functioning which had been reported at length by newspapers. My fight with the uncle and nephew was going on for last two-three years and relations came to a point that finally I quit the Congress party," he added.

Kalmadi clarified that he would not contest the election on either the BJP or the Sena's symbol but as an Independent candidate under the banner of his newly floated Pune Vikas Aghadi.

While he ruled out the Aghadi eventually merging with either the Sena or the BJP, he said he may campaign for the Sena-BJP in Baramati against Pawar. To yet another question, he vehemently denied that he had ever made a statement that he would return to the Congress fold, if Sonia Gandhi became its president.

Thackeray at the outset said the Sena had no animosity towards Kalmadi who had quit the Congress, and the decision to support him would not only benefit the alliance at the hustings in other constituencies but would also help the Sena in the Pune civic body where the party was already poised to become the majority party. Munde, while sharing the same hope, said all BJP workers in Pune would work for Kalmadi and he would be elected with a higher margin of votes than in the previous Lok Sabha election.

Justifying his stance on leaving the Congress, Kalmadi told Rediff On The NeT that he was disappointed with party president Sitaram Kesri who he felt was dictatorial in his style of functioning.

"I never wanted the Congress to withdraw support to the Deve Gowda government. But no one in the party supported me. In the same way, I was upset with the leadership when they withdrew support to the Gujral government. Again no one in the party backed me. So, I left the party."

When asked about the letter he had written to Thackeray, Kalmadi said, "The letter mentions two things. First, that I will not rejoin the Congress under any circumstances and second, that I will not support Sharad Pawar in the future."

When pointed out that before the no-confidence motion on the Deve Gowda government, he had told Rediff On The NeT that he did not want the "communal BJP" to form the government at the Centre, he evaded the question by asserting, "I am only concerned with the development of Pune city at the moment. I am upset with all the major political parties. And that is the reason I have formed my own party which will have nothing to do with the BJP."

Kalmadi said it was ''unfair'' to blame P V Narasimha Rao alone for the Babri Masjid demolition as all those who were members of his Cabinet were also equally responsible under the principle of collective responsibility of the Cabinet.

Kalmadi -- who was, before quitting the Congress, regarded as close to Rao -- also criticised the Congress for apologising for the Ayodhya incident. Since the party had now chosen to apologise, he said all the members of Rao's Cabinet should have been denied a ticket. ''Why single out Rao?'' he asked.

He accused then Union home minister S B Chavan -- who had secured party nominations for a couple of his supporters -- of being the ''main culprit.'' Tickets should have been denied to Chavan's supporters also, the candidate added.

Meanwhile, the BJP has decided to field Sambhajirao Kakade against Pawar in Baramati.

Syed Firdaus Ashraf, UNI

Tell us what you think of this report