Monday, September 18 2006 13:00 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Dehradun: Sharad Pawar-led NCP yesterday (Sept 18, 2006) charged that Congress was 'fast losing ground' and resorted to 'bullying' tactics in dealing with UPA allies and virtually proposed a Third Front by suggesting that secular, progressive and democratic forces join hands to keep NDA at bay.

With the strain on ties between Congress and NCP casting its shadow on NCP national convention here, a political resolution adopted at the meet by Pawar-led party said NDA, especially BJP was facing a 'serious crisis' and making an all-out attempt for a comeback.

However, Congress with their 'capitalistic policies and their 'open internal fights are fast losing ground, it said adding "under the circumstances, it is obligatory on the part of the secular democratic and progressive forces to join hands to stop the communal reactionary forces from gaining ground.

This is the first time that any constituent of UPA has made a direct attack on Congress at a time when assembly elections to four states in Hindi heartland, including Uttar Pradesh, are approaching.

Moving the political resolution at the national convention of NCP, senior leader P A Sangma launched an attack on Congress accusing it of adopting a 'big-brotherly Attitude' and resorting to bullying tactics in dealing with smaller allies.

Apparently mindful of opposition attack on UPA Government and growing unease in ruling alliance at the Centre over farmers' suicides and agrarian situation, Pawar, NCP chief and Agriculture Minister sought to put the blame over the issue at the door of Congress saying fund allocation to agriculture needs to be increased substantially.

Pawar, in his presidential address, sought to convey that the Agriculture Ministry headed by him had moved heaven and earth to give a fair deal to farmers.

His assertions come at a time when the Congress is holding a conclave of its Chief Ministers at Nainital where Pawar is likely to face the heat over the issue of farmers' suicides and the problems confronting the farm sector.

"There has been a consistent reduction in the budgetary allocation for agriculture over the past decade and the 10th Plan formulated during the NDA rule had allocated just two per cent of the total plan outlay for farm sector and only 0.30 per cent for irrigation," he told about 6,500 party delegates at the convention in his concluding remarks.

"An analyis of the trend of suicides shows that about one lakh to 1.2 lakh persons commit suicides every year of which 15-16 per cent are farmers," he said adding UPA had been addressing the issue ever since it came to power.

The NCP also voiced concern over the decline in the quality of governance despite encouraging economic growth and called for an immediate reversal of the trend.

"The biggest handicap is the crisis of confidence and the credibility gap between the government and the people and among the various constituents of governance," the resolution said.

The NCP sought to warm up to the Left by suggesting that a way to bridge the gap was making sincere efforts for comprehensive implementation of the Common Minimum Programme and effective empowerment of Panchayat Raj institutions and urban local bodies.

Sangma, who returned to NCP-fold early this year, was in the forefront in attacking Congress for adopting bullying tactics on its junior partners.

Citing the example of recent political crisis in Jharkhand, he charged "It was a mockery of democracy that an independent MLA was being sworn-in as Chief Minister and Congress was 'shamelessly backing' a Government headed by him.



Pawar, who dwelt at length on the agrarian crisis in his 30-minute presidential address, said his ministry has taken a series of decisions to tackle the problems faced by farmers and cited a special rehabilitation package for farmers of 31 districts of Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Kerala as a case in the point.

Noting that agriculture sector has seen about three per cent growth in 2005-06, the minister said "We are moving ahead with an aim of taking it up to four per cent with a concentration on increasing production and productivity during 2006-07."

He said the government has already exceeded the target of extending agriculture credit to farmers and the rate of interest for credit has been reduced to seven per cent for crop loans below the limit of Rs three lakh.