Bhujbal Questions Sharad Pawar factions’s ‘Haste’ On Merger Talks
NCP (SP) leader Shashikant Shinde, who had earlier claimed that Ajit Pawar was keen on a merger, said there was little point in discussing it now, as the person with whom the talks were allegedly held was no longer alive.
Mumbai: Senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and Maharashtra minister Chhagan Bhujbal on Saturday questioned what he described as the urgency shown by the Sharad Pawar faction over reports of merger talks with the late Ajit Pawar. Mr. Bhujbal said that while discussions between the two factions could take place in due course, there was no need to push the issue immediately after the former Deputy Chief Minister’s death.
NCP (SP) leader Shashikant Shinde, who had earlier claimed that Ajit Pawar was keen on a merger, said there was little point in discussing it now, as the person with whom the talks were allegedly held was no longer alive.
Mr. Bhujbal’s remarks came a day after an article by Sharad Pawar was published in the NCP (SP) mouthpiece Rashtravadi. In the article, Mr. Shinde claimed that Ajit Pawar had been compelled to leave the parent organisation due to pressure from an “invisible force” and was keen on a merger of the two NCP factions. He also wrote that it had been decided that Ajit Pawar would lead the unified party after the merger, but his death in an aircraft crash derailed the reunification.
The article drew objections from several NCP leaders, including Sunil Tatkare and Mr. Bhujbal. Mr. Tatkare, the party’s State unit chief, said no merger talks were underway and that Ajit Pawar had wanted to continue as an ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Speaking to reporters, Mr. Bhujbal questioned the repeated references to a merger. “Why is there discussion about a merger? Why is there so much haste? I do not understand this,” he said, adding that such discussions could even be held a month later.
He also said Sunetra Pawar had become the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra and would be elected national president of the party. “She will hold discussions with senior leaders. This is a major decision and will be taken after consultations on both sides,” he said.
Mr. Bhujbal added that it was futile to claim a merger had already been decided, noting that “a new captain has arrived; let her decide.”
On whether Sunetra Pawar would be entrusted with the leadership of a merged party, Mr. Shinde declined to comment. “We do not want to make any statement on the merger,” the NCP (SP) State chief said.
