Athavale should unite RPI groups rather than inviting MNS: NCP

NCP today asked RPI leader Ramdas Athavale to ensure unity among RPI splinter groups instead of appealing to MNS chief Raj Thackeray to join the grand alliance of Shiv Sena, BJP and RPI.
"Athavale should instead devote his energy towards uniting all RPI groups which follow B R Ambedkar's ideology. Ambedkar's ideology and that of Shiv Sena and BJP do not match. These two ideologies can not come together and there can not be transfer of their votes to one another," NCP spokesman Nawab Malik told reporters here.
Athavale had urged the MNS chief to come on the board of the Sena-BJP-RPI 'Mahayuti (grand alliance)' to overthrow the Congress-led Democratic Front government in the 2014 Assembly polls.

"Ambedkarities (followers of B R Ambedkar) would support him wholeheartedly in the endeavour of bringing together all groups. However, in this case, the main players (Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray and his MNS counterpart Raj Thackeray) have not even reacted (to Athavale's remarks)," Malik said.
The NCP leader said his party would come out with a "senior citizens charter" on its Foundation Day on June 10.
NCP president and union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar has convened a meeting of senior party leaders on June 7 to discuss the issue and finalise the charter concerning welfare of senior citizens.

Earlier in the day, Marathi actors Prasad Limaye, Jui Gadkari and Pradip Velankar joined NCP in the presence of deputy chief Minister Ajit Pawar.

Malik informed that the party's women's cell has organised a cleanliness awareness campaign from June 15 to August 30 in the state.
"The issue of cleanliness of women's toilets in public places like bus stands, hospitals will be taken up," he said.