Addressing a meet-the-press organised by the Mumbai Marathi Patrakar Sangh - as part of its pre-poll interaction with political personalities, the scholar and educationalist said that they have decided to contest in about 33 Lok Sabha seats throughout the country. While in Kerala they are part of the United Democratic Front, in Tamil Nadu they will go along with Moopanar-led Tamil Manila Congress and with Deve Gowda-led Janata Dal in Karnataka.

In Maharashtra as of yet there has been no significant talks, but very soon the party will be in a position to decide. The party will also field candidates for the State assembly polls. `We will be able to decide it very soon where allthe party would contest', he said.

Banatwalla, who has been a member of the dissolved Lok Sabha said that with Sharad Pawar forming the Nationalist Congress Party and the Samajwadi Party deciding to go along with it, it will only divide the secular votes and benefit fundamentalists (BJP and its allies). It is very unfortunate that the poll verdict will be fractured, but the endeavour of the IUML would be to form a secular government at the Centre, he added.

When it was pointed out about allegations that his party was only taking up causes of Muslims and the party's name also bears the name Muslim, he said, we are pro-Muslims, but not anti-Hindus or anti-Indians. He clarified that his party was totally secular and not communal, but added that it has always strived for upliftment of minorities and dalits.

Banatwalla said that the causes of minorities and dalits have been ignored in the past and they face many problems like lack of education and economic backwardness. He said there are several otherproblems faced by minorities like the Srikrishna Commission recommendations not being implemented.

NMP gets support

In an attempt to cash in on Dr B R Ambedkar's name, the National Minorities Party (NMP), a recently floated Muslim outfit, has joined hands with Maisaheb, widow of Dr Ambedkar. Akhtar H Rizvi, sitting Rajya Sabha MP and founder president of NMP, said on Tuesday afternoon that Maisaheb's decision to support his party would help consolidate Dalit and Muslim votes. `Maisaheb is upset over the division of RPI, founded by her husband.