'A big plan to destroy Congress'

NCP chief Sharad Pawar. File pic

While the Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar vehemently denied that he would be replacing Sonia Gandhi as the UPA head, former president of Mumbai Congress Sanjay Nirupam said bringing the NCP leader into the contention for the post was part of a big plan to destroy the grand old party.

Reacting to news reports claiming Pawar would be the next head of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) sooner or later, the former MP tweeted on Friday a campaign was being run from Delhi to Mumbai against Congress's former president Rahul Gandhi. Nirupam's tweet suggested that besides other parties, some Congress insiders were also involved in the plan.

A rumour
"Spreading a rumour that Sharad Pawar will be made the next UPA chief is part of a campaign being run against Rahul Gandhi. Under the same campaign, a letter [to Sonia] was written by 23 [Congress] leaders. Then, attempts were made to find inconsistency in his leadership. It's a big plan to destroy the Congress," he said in a tweet in Hindi. He was apparently referring to the Congress insiders who demanded reforms within the party and Pawar's recent interview to a newspaper in which he had commented on Rahul's leadership much to the chagrin of his supporters.

Pawar, who led a delegation of Opposition to the President on Thursday over the farmers' agitation, told reporters that "there is no truth in it [news of him becoming the next UPA chief]. Media has given the false news."

Sena welcomed news
The NCP had clarified on Thursday that the rumours were spread to divert the public attention from the farmers' protests being held at the Delhi border.

Shiv Sena, NCP's ruling partner, had welcomed the news and said it would think of joining the UPA if the leader, who stitched the three-party alliance, headed the national alliance of anti-BJP parties.

Congress is a small yet a decisive partner in the Maha Vikas Aghadi government. Any development that is seen as detrimental to the Congress is seen a threat to the MVA government's stability. Following Pawar's comment on Rahul, two senior ministers, including state Congress president, had expressed their displeasure and asked the MVA partners to avoid criticising the Congress leadership if they wanted the government to be stable.

Tweet talk

Sanjay Nirupam
Congress leader: Spreading a rumour that Sharad Pawar will be made the next UPA chief is part of a campaign being run against Rahul Gandhi. It is a big plan to destroy the Congress

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