Rubbishing rumours about plans to go with the BJP during the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls, the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) said that it would strive to stop communal forces in Maharashtra.
Talking to reporters after a meeting of Maharashtra’s NCP leaders to chalk out an election strategy, NCP working president Jitendra Awhad said, “We are going to stand against communal forces.”
Calling themselves “die-hard” secularists, he said that the NCP would not do anything that would support those with an extremist and fascist outlook.
“We are die-hard secularists. We believe in secularism and will go with secular parties. We will not support communal forces in any way. We will not do anything that will favour people who believe in a fascist ideology,” he said.
The NCP MLA said that his party chief and Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar has clarified that the NCP would stand against communal forces during the elections.
“We will not compromise under any circumstances with the BJP,” he said.
“We are with the Congress and will remain with them. Our alliance is on the basis of similar ideology,” Awhad said.
