'No Decision Without Consulting DMK Or Stalin': Sharad Pawar On If AIADMK Could Join I.N.D.I.A. Bloc
The day after AIADMK announced its exit from the NDA, Pawar was asked whether efforts are being made to induct the Dravidian party into the I.N.D.I.A. bloc.
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar on Tuesday said the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) party or its chief MK Stalin will be consulted regarding any decision related to bringing All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) under the I.N.D.I.A. alliance. The statement comes a day after AIADMK ended its four-year-old ties with the BJP on Monday and announced that it is exiting the NDA. AIADMK said that it would be leading a separate front for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, reported news agency PTI.
Pawar while talking to the media said, “The DMK is an associate of I.N.D.I.A. alliance partners. So no decision related to this will be taken without consulting DMK or Stalin.”
The I.N.D.I.A. bloc of the Opposition is a coalition of 28 parties that aim to defeat the Bharatiya Janta Party-led NDA in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
Earlier in the day, Pawar also responded to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's jibe at the Opposition over the passage of the Women's Reservation Bill in Parliament. Pawar said that the Congress and its allies supported the Women's Reservation Bill wholeheartedly in Parliament but, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was not briefed correctly about it. His remarks came just a day after PM Modi in Madhya Pradesh said that the Opposition supported the said bill 'reluctantly'.
As per a report of the news agency PTI, Pawar stated that the previous Congress governments in Maharashtra as well as at the Centre had taken steps for the empowerment of women. He said, "PM Narendra Modi spoke of Congress and 'Ghamandia' allies supporting the Women's Reservation Bill reluctantly. But this is not true. All of us have wholeheartedly supported the bill. The PM was not appropriately briefed."
He added, "Congress government at the Centre had brought the 73rd constitutional amendment, which paved the way for 33 per cent quota for women in local bodies. When I was Defence Minister, 11 per cent reservation was given to women in Army, Navy and Air Force."
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