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No need to amend Constitution, says Pawar

After successfully forging an electoral tie-up with the Samajwadi Party led by former defence minister Mulayam Singh Yadav, Nationalist Congress Party president Sharad Pawar arrived in Bombay today to initiate a discussion for an alliance with the Ramdas Athavale faction of the Republican Party of India.

Announcing this at a press conference in Bombay, NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal described the talks as fruitful and in the right direction.

"The preliminary discussion was a step further in the process of coming together of both parties," he said.

While Pawar, Bhujbal and Dr Padamsinh Patil represented the NCP, the negotiators from the RPI group included Athavale, Prof Jogendra Kawade, Sumant Gaikwad and 15 other politicians from various parts of the state.

The meeting took place at Pawar's residence, 'Ramalayam', in south Bombay.

Bhujbal said the RPI delegation asked whether the NCP proposes to amend the Constitution to prevent foreign-born Indian citizens from holding the office of president, vice-president or prime minister, to which Pawar said legal experts had pointed out that there is no need for such an amendment.

According to Pawar, the same result can be achieved by adding a simple explanation in the Citizenship Act, that "for the avoidance of doubts, it is hereby declared that no person who has acquired citizenship by registration or naturalisation shall be entitled to hold the office of president, vice-president and prime minister."

Bhujbal said another round of talks between the NCP and RPI would take place in eight days.

He said Pawar also allayed fears that his party would join hands with the Bharatiya Janata Party and reminded the delegation that the NCP had resolved to be equidistant from both the Congress and the BJP.

Asked about talks with another faction of the RPI led by Prakash Ambedkar, Bhujbal said Pawar just told him [Bhujbal] that he had met Ambedkar in the Central Hall of Parliament House.

Asked about his impending appointment as the Maharashtra NCP president, he said the party's legislative wing, the Congress-R, will be merged into the NCP next week. The announcement of state-unit office-bearers will be made later.

UNI

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