Janata Dal (U) today reacted sharply to Sharad Pawar's meeting with Bal Thackeray over the IPL Cricket issue and demanded that the Union minister should publicly apologise for "surrender" before the Shiv Sena chief.
Party spokesman Shivanand Tiwari said Pawar's meeting with Thackeray has sent a "wrong message" that the Sena supremo was more powerful than the Centre and the Maharashtra government. Therefore, the prime minister should also think
whether to keep the agriculture minister in his Cabinet.
"Pawar is an important cabinet minister and by meeting Thackeray, he is surrendering the authority of the Government.
The prime minister should take cognisance of this. Pawar should publicly apologise," he said.
He regretted that the meeting has come about despite Union home minister P Chidambaram's statement that the government would provide full protection to the players.
Reports had it that Pawar, who is the president of Mumbai Cricket Association, made an appeal to the Shiv Sena chief during the meeting to withdraw the party's threat against allowing participation of Australian players' in IPL.
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