Pawar's public appearance was as unexpected as his letter was. In step with Sudhakar Naik, former chief minister and friend who turned a foe in the last few years, Pawar drove into the precincts of a private cultural-educational foundation early afternoon that soon became the rebels' headquarters. ``We understand each other now,'' Pawar smiled into the waiting television cameras. Naik, also an MP, seconded: ``what he is doing is right...we have come closer now.''Significantly, other close confidants, Chhagan Bhujbal and Madhukarrao Pichad, chose to stay out of city today.

Pawar thenheld a series of meetings with Congressmen from different parts of Maharashtra while simultaneously taking telephone calls from party leaders across the country. Digivijay Singh, Madhya Pradesh chief minister and CK Jaffer Sharief, former railway minister were among those who established contact with Pawar. Sharief was scheduled to fly down to Mumbai later for further discussions.

A number of other Congressmen in Delhi reportedly called him to express their mind on the explosive issue he had raised. ``Yes, some party leaders and CWC members are in touch,'' Pawar acknowledged but refused to divulge their names for fear of retribution.

The make-shift office received a fax informing him of the re-scheduled CWC meeting this evening but he dismissed the possibility of hastily flying down to Delhi to attend it. ``I have already expressed my opinion. There's no need to repeat one's stand,'' he explained. Delhi is not on his itinerary in the next few days--unless there's an intra-party earthquake and he receivessummons from the highest quarters. He will continue to meet partymen and others in Mumbai tomorrow after which he plans to be in Pune till the weekend giving lectures on genetic engineering and suchlike subjects.

The Pawar camp is waiting for a CWC reaction. They would love to see the party under the Italian-born Sonia Gandhi's leadership expel someone of Pawar's stature and experience in public life. Pawar himself is keenly aware of the popular support for his stand. Staunch Congress voters are unwilling to consider the party this time because they would rather not vote an Italian-born to the Prime Minister's office and this issue is being raised in cocktail circuits, drawing-rooms as well as grassroot levels, said Congressmen from western Maharashtra, home to the powerful sugar lobby. Expulsion would make Pawar a martyr and their task easier in the forthcoming election.

However, Pawar did not discuss the letter in any of his meetings. Ten MPs from the state, nearly 25 MLAs, union leaders from theCongress-affiliate Rashtriya Mill Mazdoor Sangh and sugar lobby barons with their posse of supporters crowded the Yashwantrao Chavan precincts all day. Pawar first told the gathering that he had not quit the party nor did he plan to do so. Then, he retired into the make-shift office to meet partymen on a district basis beginning with Kolhapur, the bastion of the sugar lobby. In between he took telephone calls and very reluctantly briefed the media. His themeline in all these meetings: I plan to stay in the party itself and the issue was raised at a party forum, not from a public platform.

The purpose was not so much to explain his line as to assess the support he has managed to garner on the issue. Naik's presence was an important signal that his arch-baiters have come around and are on his side. A handful of more MPs had called to pledge their support and are on their way to Mumbai, informed his staff. He dismissed former chief minister AR Antulay's acerbic reaction as something entirely expected and wasnot bothered by the absence of some known supporters such as Gurudas Kamat, MP from Mumbai Northeast.

Back in the party headquarters, for the Pradesh Congress Committee Pawar turned an outcas. With PCC president Prataprao Bhosale in Delhi strongly condemning Pawar's stand, the partyline was clear. ``Suddenly Pawar has forgotten the role he played earlier (in supporting Ms Gandhi) and started toeing the RSS-BJP line thus creating confusion in the party ranks. I demand immediate and appropriate action against Pawar and his colleagues,'' Bhosale said in a signed statement. General secretary Rajiv Chavan believed that Pawar had ``given credibility to the slanderous and malicious campaign of the BJP''.

Mumbai Congress chief and MP Murli Deora, a known Pawar-baiter, termed Pawar's action as ``a great betrayal and an act of gross indiscipline''. But naturally, the Maharashtra Pradesh Youth Congress, Mumbai Youth Congress and the all-India Mahila Congress too followed the party line condemning Pawar, Sangma andAnwar and demanding CWC action against them.