'Completely false': NCP (SP) rejects merger buzz after Supriya Sule says talks ended with Ajit Pawar's death
NEW DELHI: The Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP-SP) on Saturday dismissed reports of a possible merger with the Ajit Pawar-led faction as “completely false”, saying it had no plans to merge with any other political party.NCP (SP) spokesperson Pravin Kunte Patil alleged that the reports were being deliberately circulated to divert public attention from pressing issues such as drought, inflation, unemployment, alleged vote theft and irregularities in Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) examinations.“Our official stand is that those who wish to merge should join our party,” Kunte Patil said, PTI reported.His remarks came amid renewed speculation about a possible reunion between the two NCP factions: the one led by Sharad Pawar and the other headed by Maharashtra Deputy chief minister Sunetra Pawar.Earlier in the day, NCP (SP) working president Supriya Sule said discussions about a merger had ended for her following the death of her cousin, former NCP chief Ajit Pawar. She also said she had received no communication from leaders of the other faction on the matter.Speaking to reporters, Sule said merger discussions had taken place when Ajit Pawar was alive and that a date had even been decided. However, she said the discussions came to an end after his death.“When my brother (then NCP chief Ajit Pawar) was alive, there were discussions about a merger. A date had also been decided. But the day my brother passed away, the merger issue came to a full stop for me and within our party,” Sule said.She said her party had neither made any announcement on a merger after Ajit Pawar’s death nor responded to statements from the other faction.“No spokesperson from our side has spoken on this issue in the last several months,” she said. Sule also said she had received no communication from the Ajit Pawar faction about a possible merger.“Not a single phone call, WhatsApp message, SMS, letter or email has come to me from anyone in the Ajit Pawar faction regarding a merger. Nobody has contacted me. No one has met me regarding this,” she added.Sule said her relationship with Ajit Pawar was based on affection and not political considerations, adding that she did not see the point of discussing a merger after his death.“For you, this may be a discussion or gossip. For us, these are emotions. Some things are done from the heart. My relationship with my brother was that of love and affection. He is no longer here. What is the point of discussing it now?” she said.Asked whether talks could be held with Ajit Pawar’s family, including his wife Sunetra Pawar, Sule said personal relationships should not be mixed with politics.Sule also rejected speculation that the NCP (SP) could join the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).“There has been no discussion on joining the NDA. When there has been no beginning, where does the question of a full stop arise?” she said.She declined to comment on statements made by senior leaders of the Ajit Pawar faction, including Chhagan Bhujbal, Sunil Tatkare, Praful Patel and Hasan Mushrif.“These are senior leaders who have worked with my father. I am much younger than them in age and experience. The values my parents taught me are that one should not speak disrespectfully about people who are older or more experienced,” she said.Expressing frustration over repeated questions about a possible merger, Sule urged the media to focus on policy issues and hold political leaders accountable. She said she was “already bored with the subject”.“There are several important issues facing the country and the world. There are serious policy-making issues that need to be discussed. The FCRA Bill, One Nation, One Election and several other important issues are before us.
We should be discussing these issues,” she said.On her meetings with senior NCP leader Praful Patel, Sule said they were related to parliamentary committee work and had no political significance.“I am a member of the Finance Committee and he is also involved in committee work. We also meet in connection with the JPC on the FCRA. These are institutional meetings, not political discussions,” she added.
