NCP discusses 'atrocities' on Dalits,polls in 5 states next yr

Next year's assembly polls in five states including, Uttar Pradesh and atrocities on Dalits in parts of the country dominated the discussions at the extended working committee meeting of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), which met here this evening.
"We discussed the situation in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Goa, Gujarat and Manipur which will go to polls next year and how to go about them," senior NCP leader D P Tripathi told media after the meeting.
NCP chief Sharad Pawar along with party leaders Praful Patel, Supriya Sule and Tariq Anwar attended the meeting.
Tripathi said the party has left it to its state units the issue of forging alliances with Congress or other parties "based on situation there".

The NCP leader said the meeting also passed resolutions deploring recent spate of incidents of atrocities on Dalits and "increasing" attacks on women in parts of the country.
On Prime Minister's remarks denouncing the attacks on Dalits, Tripathi said Narendra Modi struck the right chord, but added it was "not sufficient".
"He spoke (only) about Dalits, but not minorities. Muslims were the first targets of such cow protectors. The Prime Minister should have had mentioned about it," Tripathi said.
The leader said, several speakers expressed concern over "innocent Muslim youths being ensnared (in false cases) in the name of ISIS", especially in BJP-ruled Maharashtra.