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PRESS TRUST OF INDIA
PUNE, JAN 24: Republican Party of India (Athawale faction) today demanded that the Congress give 70 seats to the party in Maharashtra in the forthcoming Assembly polls.
RPI (Athawale) was in favour of an alliance with the Congress but at the same time, expected that the Congress reciprocate by leaving 70 seats for them, RPI president Ramdas Athawale told a press conference here.
He said the RPI had submitted to the Election Commission (EC) details of the RPI convention on January 3 in Pune, in which the office-bearers were elected.
He expressed the optimism that the EC would grant his faction the official symbol as it was `the real RPI'.
Athawale said if the EC grants the official symbol to the rival (Prakash Ambedkar) faction then he would not mind joining the Ambedkar group. However, if his (Athawale)'s faction was given the official symbol, Prakash Ambedkar's faction should join his group, he added.
He demanded that the government ban organisations like the Viswha Hindu Parishad,Bajrang Dal and Hindu Jagran Manch for ``committing atrocities on Christians''.
Copyright © 1999 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
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