Not everyone in NCP is happy about support to BJP

Nationalist Congress Party in Kerala, a component of the Communist Party of India-Marxist-led Left Democratic Front, has conveyed its reservations to the central leadership over the offer of support to the Bharatiya Janata Party to form the government in Maharashtra.

The state unit voiced objection to the "unilateral way" the support was offered by the central leadership and also to the ideological deviation involved in such an "opportunistic stand."

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"This is a decision which is totally unacceptable to the NCP workers in Kerala. We have already put across our view on this to the party's top leadership", senior party leader and MLA A K Saseendran told PTI.

"First of all, this involved total breach of organisational norms as a top leader made the announcement without consulting the state units. More important, this is dilution of secular ideology of the party", he said.

Saseendran said when the party decided to align with the Congress at the Centre and Maharashtra, it was with the sole aim of keeping "communal forces" at bay. Now, if the party extends support to the BJP that would be mean dilution of that ideological position.

Making it clear that the state unit would remain with the LDF, Saseendran hinted that state unit would chart out its independent course if the central leadership stuck to its decision to back the BJP.

A minor partner of the LDF, NCP has two MLAs in the Kerala assembly.

Image: File photo of NCP chief Sharad Pawar with senior party leader Praful Patel. Photograph: PTI