Pawar should apologise for surrendering before Thackeray: JD(U)
New Delhi: Janata Dal (U) on Monday reacted
sharply to Sharad Pawar's meeting with Bal Thackeray over the
IPL Cricket issue and demanded that the Union Minister should
publicly apologise for "surrender" before the Shiv Sena chief.
Party spokesman Shivanand Tiwari said Pawar's meeting
with Thackeray has sent a "wrong message" that the Sena
supremo was more powerful than the Centre and the Maharashtra
government. Therefore, the Prime Minister should also think
whether to keep the Agriculture Minister in his Cabinet.
"Pawar is an important Cabinet Minister and by meeting
Thackeray, he is surrendering the authority of the Government.
The Prime Minister should take cognisance of this. Pawar
should publicly apologise," he said.
He regretted that the meeting has come about despite
Union Home Minister P Chidambaram's statement that the
Government would provide full protection to the players.
Reports had it that Pawar, who is the President of
Mumbai Cricket Association, made an appeal to the Shiv
Sena chief during the meeting to withdraw the party's threat
against allowing participation of Australian players' in IPL.
PTI