New Delhi: In sharp contrast to his colleague P A Sangma, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar on September 7 soft pedalled the issue of Sonia Gandhi's foreign origin "for the moment", and favoured the formation of a "secular" front to fight the BJP in Gujarat.

"This is not the appropriate time to raise the foreign origin issue. We will take it up when the time comes," he said in his inaugural address at the NCP's two-day national camp.

Talking to reporters on the sidelines of the camp, he said this would not be an issue during the Gujarat elections as Sonia Gandhi would not be the Law-making authority in the state.

"The secular vote should not be divided in Gujarat. We are clear about this. But Congress must not think it is the custodian of secularism and all other parties, should abide by it," he said in his speech.

While trying to keep a distance from both BJP and Congress, Pawar made it clear that as far as Gujarat was concerned his priority would be to ensure the defeat of Narendra Modi's party.

Brushing aside questions about NCP's plans to forge a Third Front against the BJP as well as Congress in the Gujarat elections, he refuted reports that his party was trying to divide the "secular" vote to help the BJP.

Asked about the NCP stand if the Congress took a lead in forming an alliance against the BJP, Pawar said he was of the view that the Congress was not likely to do so. "I don't think that party is serious about an alternative."

In his address, Pawar said Congress had changed a lot in the last 50 years from the days when Mahatma Gandhi had spoken of burning "videshi" (foreign) goods and today "when Sangma's effigy was burnt for talking about swadeshi".

Evading questions about who the NCP would opt, BJP or Sonia Gandhi, Pawar said "why should we choose. It's a game of patience".

To a question if he felt there was a larger conspiracy behind Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa's remarks against Sonia, he said, "She is an individual person. It's foolishness to say she is talking on behalf of BJP."

Attacking the Narendra Modi Government, he said the BJP was looking at Gujarat as a test case for fighting elections on the "communal divide" card and expressed apprehensions that the party could try this strategy in the entire country.

He opposed elections in the state till normalcy is completely restored there.

Pawar also opposed Modi's proposed gaurav yatra and said Congress had created an obstacle in all secular forces getting together to stop it.

He said senior BJP leader L K Advani's Ram Rath Yatra had led to an atmosphere of "communal divide" in the country.

Describing the NDA government as "directionless", he attacked its policies and accused it of being responsible for more corruption than ever before.

PTI