Relations between Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar
and Congress president Sonia Gandhi are headed for a thaw as the
Maratha is set to join hands with Gandhi to evolve a joint opposition
strategy against the Atal Behari Vajpayee government.

Pawar is likely to attend a meeting on the Gujarat issue convened by
Gandhi, in her capacity as the leader of the Opposition, today.

Ever since he broke away from the Congress, on the issue of Gandhi's
foreign origin, Pawar stayed away from Gandhi's meetings. This is the
first time that he will join an initiative by Gandhi as leader of the
party.
According to sources, Gandhi herself was expected to call up her
estranged one-time lieutenant to invite him for the meeting.

The sources said that even as Parliament resumed its Budget Session
yesterday, she had tried to contact Pawar, but could not locate him.
NCP sources here asserted that Pawar would have no hesitation in
meeting Gandhi if she invited him personally.

They said the Maratha had no intention whatsoever to support the
Vajpayee government on the Gujarat issue and welcomed any step taken
by Gandhi to put the National Democratic Alliance ministry on the
mat.

``If as an Opposition, all of us have to sit together, then the NCP
will join in,'' NCP spokesman Praful Patel said yesterday.

He said, ``Our duty is to oppose the government on the issue of
secularism. We are sure that this government is against Muslims. We
will perform our duty even if it means joining hands with the
Congress.''

He asserted that in case of a discussion under rule 184 in
Parliament, the NCP would vote decisively against the government.

Pawar, with his pack of 11 MPs in the Lok Sabha has been eyed by the
government as a possible ally in view of the Telugu Desam Party's
threat to withdraw support. The BJP's hopes of support increased in
the wake of the NCP's support for POTA.

However, it would appear that the Maratha is loathe to not only lose
his secular credentials, but would also not like to be seen as
boarding a sinking ship.

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