Tariq resigns from NCP, Lok Sabha

PATNA: Days after NCP chief Sharad Pawar’s ‘clean chit’ to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over Rafale deal, Katihar MP Tariq Anwar resigned from the party as well as the Lok Sabha on Friday.
Anwar said he resigned from the NCP primary membership of the NCP of which he was a founding member.

Anwar said Pawar’s statement in a TV interview on PM Modi and Rafale deal “hurt” him. “PM Modi is fully involved in Rafale deal and former France president has substantiated the charge. PM Modi has not proved himself clean on the issue. Despite this, Pawar’s statement giving PM a clean chit over his intention is unfortunate,” Anwar said in a statement.

Pawar had told a Marathi news channel that people don’t doubt PM Modi’s intentions in the Rafale deal. He also said the opposition demand to share technical details relating to the Rafale fighter jets “made no sense”.

BJP was quick to lap up Pawar’s statement. “I thank Sharad Pawar, a former Defence Minister and veteran MP, for placing national interests above party politics and speaking the truth. Dear Rahul Gandhi, you would be wiser by believing your own ally and a leader of Pawar Saheb’s stature,” BJP national president Amit Shah tweeted on Thursday.

Though NCP later came out with a clarification that Pawar’s statement did not amount to a clean chit to PM, Tariq said he completely disagreed with his statement which shattered the faith of countrymen in opposition. “I have great respect for Pawar but cannot betray the common perception over irregularities in Rafale deal,” Tariq said.

Political observers consider Tariq’s move as aimed at safeguarding his constituency ahead of 2019 Lok Sabha elections as Katihar is a Muslim dominated parliamentary constituency. Tariq, a third generation politician from his family, was first elected from Katihar in 1980 followed by 1984, 1996 and 1998. He lost to BJP’s Nikhil Kumar Chaudhary in 1999 but regained the seat in 2014 by defeating the same rival.

A former Bihar Congress president, Tariq had quit the party in 1999 along with Pawar and former Lok Sabha Speaker PA Sangma against the anointment of Sonia Gandhi as the Congress president despite her foreign origin. Tariq was also considered close to Sanjay Gandhi and Congress veteran Sitaram Kesri.

On his future course of action, Tariq said: “I have not taken a decision yet. I will decide after consultation with my supporters.”

Meanwhile, Bihar Congress leaders said the party would eagerly wait for Tariq’s next political move. “He is a fine leader. We shall be keenly awaiting his future political move,” Congress MLC Prem Chandra Mishra said.

“Tariq is a respected leader in Bihar. We will welcome him if he likes to join Congress … Pawar has been given a befitting reply with Tariq’s resignation,” Bihar Congress’s working president Ashok Ram told reporters here.