I have not resigned from UPA govt: Pawar

July 20, 2012 09:40

The NCP on Friday sought to push the Congress leadership into a corner with its two senior leaders Sharad Pawar and Praful Patel believed to have resigned from the Union cabinet aggrieved over a variety of issues including no 2 slot for Pawar and Congress' treatment of its allies.

Pawar, however, expressed surprise over reports of his resignation and flatly denied them.

The NCP leaders are expected to Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Friday on the issue.

The agriculture minister who sat in the No.2 seat in the first Cabinet meeting after Mukherjee's resignation but in the next meeting the seat was taken by defence minister and senior Congress leader AK Antony.

This was interpreted as Congress' way of sending a message that Antony was the virtual No.2 in the government.

To add to NCP's anger, Pawar's name had appeared in the No.2 position in the list of Cabinet ministers on the Prime Minister's website but the list itself was removed from the official websites of the PMO and Cabinet Secretariat.

Pawar, a senior leader, had been a Maharashtra chief minister thrice, was defence minister in the PV Narasimha Rao cabinet and was once even considered in the race for Prime Ministership.

« Back to LIVE

TOP STORIES

Russia to deliver 2 more S-400 missile system regiments to India next year

According to the original timeline, the ships were to be delivered by 2022, they said, attributing the delays in the delivery to Russia's war in Ukraine.

Will Nilesh Kumbhani join BJP? Cong says lost contact with him

Local Congress workers, led by city unit's working president Dinesh Savalia, staged a protest outside Kumbhani's locked house in Puna Gam area, calling him traitor and accusing him of giving a walkover to the BJP.

UPA govt took no military action after 26/11 because...: Jaishankar

Describing India as a voice of the 'Global South' (comprising about 125 countries), he said the countries of the Global South trust India to take up their cause and positions in the world.

X user booked over deepfake video of Ranveer Singh

Ranveer Singh never said this, and he does not have any relation with any political party, his father said in the complaint.

Military strength, capabilities must to prevent wars: Army chief

Addressing an event in New Delhi, Gen Pande also said the recent global developments have underscored that the security of the nation can neither be outsourced nor be dependent on the largesse of others.