Mumbai, Oct 12: Maharashtra Chief Minister Sushilkumar Shinde today said NCP, which is a key partner in the ruling DF coalition in the state, would have to respect the Congress leadership. "If NCP is partner of the ruling coalition, then it must give due respect to our leadership," Shinde told reporters here when his attention was drawn to NCP president Sharad Pawar's remark about AICC president Sonia Gandhi's foreign origin at a public rally in New Delhi.
Shinde was speaking to reporters after laying the foundation stone for the special care centre at American Centre's school in Bandra-Kurla complex in suburban Mumbai. The state unit of the Congress last evening issued an ultimatum to the NCP leadership to clarify its stance over the foreign origin issue. However, a senior Congress minister, referring to the war of words between the main alliance partners, ruled out any threat to the government. "Everybody is a seasoned politician. At this juncture, both Congress and NCP cannot afford to lose a state like Maharashtra," he said. Bureau Report