Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on Tuesday declared support to the NDPP-BJP government
led by Neiphiu Rio in Nagaland, saying there had been an 'understanding' with Rio prior to the polls.
NCP has seven legislators in the Nagaland House of 60, while the combined strength of NDPP-BJP is 37 (NDPP 25 and BJP 12). NDPP and BJP had a
pre-poll alliance.
"We had an understanding with Rio before the polls. There was prolonged discussion on whether NCP should join the government or sit in the opposition. In the larger interest of Nagaland, NCP has decided to support Rio," Pawar said. NCP spokesperson Narendra Verma said newly elected legislators from the party felt that NCP must be part of the government in the larger interest of the state, and that it was left to Pawar to take the final call.
Pawar, however, made it clear that NCP’s support to Rio should not be misread as its support for BJP. "That is wrong. We have joined hands with Rio and not BJP," Pawar told reporters on thesidelines of an event in Mumbai. In the 2014 Maharashtra assembly polls, BJP had emerged as the single largest party but didn’t have a clear majority to form a government on its own. NCP had then declared outside support, following which BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis was appointed the CM.
Pawar said PM Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah levelled charges of corruption against Meghalaya politicians during their poll campaign. "But after the results were declared, not only did BJP join hands with such politicians to form the government, but Modi also attended the swearing-in ceremony of the CM [Conrad Sangma]."
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