TIMES NEWS NETWORK [ THURSDAY, JUNE 06, 2002 12:01:50 AM ]

MUMBAI: In an abject surrender to the Peasants and Workers Party
(PWP), leaders of the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party
(NCP) on Wednesday agreed to drop Sunil Tatkare of the NCP from the
Democratic Front ministry a second time.


With the DF government reduced to a minority in the 288-member
legislative assembly, leaders of the coalition were seen making all-
out efforts to appease the PWP.


The current crisis was triggered by chief minister Vilasrao
Deshmukh's decision to reinduct Mr Tatkare into his team much against
the wishes of the PWP. Leaders of the PWP were angry with Mr Tatkare
for allegedly engineering the defeat of their party's nominee to the
presidentship of the Raigad zilla parishad.


On Wednesday, Mr Deshmukh visited PWP leader Ganpatrao Deshmukh's
residence and agreed to drop Mr Tatkare.


He said that the PWP being a progressive organisation, should not
do "anything which would help communal parties like the Shiv Sena and
the BJP'' to capture power. Senior NCP leader and deputy chief
minister Chhagan Bhujbal confirmed that his party was willing to
sacrifice Mr Tatkare to defuse the crisis.


PWP leaders said they would discuss the offer made by the CM at a
meeting of its executive.


President of the NCP Sharad Pawar rushed to Mumbai from Delhi on
Tuesday night in an effort to keep his flock together.


He held a series of meetings with his MLAs and appealed to them to
stay united. He also warned them that they would invite the
provisions of the anti-defection Act if they joined hands with the
saffron combine.


Quoting the law, he said rebel MLAs could be disqualified from
contesting polls for six years.


He succeeded in winning back Kolhapur MLA Vinay Kore, who on Tuesday
had sent a fax message to BJP leader Gopinath Munde declaring the
withdrawal of his support to the DF government.


Mr Kore issued another statement on Wednesday saying he was "misled''
by some people and that he was still with the government.


However, in a day of hectic political activity, the NCP suffered
another setback when former Shiv Sena minister Gajanan Kirtikar
submitted a letter to governor P.C. Alexander signed by NCP MLA
Shirish Kotwal.