Mumbai, Nov 9 NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar on Monday dismissed speculation regarding a merger between the two Nationalist Congress Party factions, asserting that no such discussions were underway within his party and alleging that the reports were designed to set a political narrative.
Speaking to reporters after meeting his grand uncle and party president Sharad Pawar at his residence here, Rohit Pawar said neither the veteran leader nor the party’s working president, Supriya Sule, had ever discussed an NCP merger or alignment with the BJP.
“If merger talks were underway, Supriya tai or Pawar Saheb would have spoken to me. There has been no discussion on merger in our party. The discussion is only in Ajit Dada’s party and in the media,” he said.
The merger buzz gained traction last week after several leaders of the Sunetra Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party, including Praful Patel and Parth Pawar, met Sharad Pawar, who was recently hospitalised for a chest infection. A viral video showed Sharad Pawar and Patel discussing a possible meeting after November 10. Amid such speculation, NCP state president Sunil Tatkare claimed the merger of the two factions would have taken place in February this year had Ajit Pawar been alive.
The Karjat Jamkhed MLA claimed that the speculation was aimed at creating a particular political narrative, asserting that he remained among the most vocal critics of the BJP-led government in Maharashtra.
Rohit Pawar also questioned the investigation into the aircraft crash that killed former Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, alleging that it was not proceeding in the right direction and that those in power were not addressing doubts about the incident.
He said he would make a detailed presentation in Mumbai on November 14-15 on the crash and the questions surrounding it.
Turning to the Gokul dairy controversy, Rohit Pawar slammed the state cabinet’s decision to grant voting rights to four government-nominated directors on the board of the milk cooperative, terming the move unconstitutional and holding Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis responsible.
(PTI News)
