Mumbai, June 05: Congress in Maharashtra today said no attempts to join hands with Sharad Pawar-led NCP would be made unless the latter dropped its foreign origin issue. "We cannot form an alliance with NCP as long as it does not drop the issue of AICC president Sonia Gandhi's foreign origin", MPCC chief Ranjit Deshmukh told reporters here.
Deshmukh's statement assumes significance in the wake of talks of Congress and NCP coming together for next year's crucial assembly elections.
Asked how the foreign origin issue could hamper coming together of both the parties in the assembly elections, Deshmukh said "after all it (foreign origin issue) is a political one".
However, Deshmukh clarified that any decision about alliance would be taken by the party's central leadership.
The MPCC chief reiterated his party was in favour of simultaneously holding elections to the state assembly and the Lok Sabha.
Asked to specify the party's stance on reservations for economically backward among upper castes, Deshmukh said the congress would formulate its stand during a meeting of its senior leaders on June 10 here. Bureau Report