NCP chief Sharadchandra Pawar on Friday sought to put an end to speculation over the meeting between party chief Sharad Pawar and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, describing the controversy as a “storm in a teacup” and insisting that the interaction was just a courtesy call.
“It was just a short courtesy meeting. Nothing more,” Sule told reporters.
The meeting between Sharad Pawar and Shinde in the Maharashtra Assembly earlier this week sparked intense political speculation, with allies in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), especially the Shiv Sena (UBT), questioning the optics of the interaction.
Sule also denied reports that a section of the Congress Party (SP) was considering switching over to the BJP-led NDA.
“I am in constant contact with all eight representatives. We are all united,” she said.
Objections from Uddhav’s team
The controversy erupted after Sharad Pawar met Shinde at the deputy chief minister’s office inside the Vidhan Sabha headquarters after attending a meeting on the Maharashtra-Karnataka border dispute chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Pawar also held a meeting of NCP legislators at the same place, raising speculation about possible political realignments.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut strongly criticized the meeting and called Shinde a “traitor” and questioned why Pawar chose to meet him in his office.
“Shinde is a traitor. We should not give him legitimacy by meeting him. We cannot be seen having tea with a traitor,” Raut said.
He also said that the meeting could affect Sharad Pawar’s credibility and said that MVA workers are upset over the development.
“Misunderstanding,” says Supriya Sule.
Responding to Raut’s criticism, Sule said the differences had already been resolved.
“I spoke to Sanjay Raut. It was a misunderstanding. We are fine now,” she said.
A day after his criticism, Raut also softened his stance, calling Sharad Pawar the tallest MVA leader and clarifying that he was only conveying the sentiments of party workers. However, he maintained that Eknath Shinde should remain out of the political touch of MVA voters.
Congress’s statements increase speculation
The political furore was further amplified after Congress leader and former Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan claimed that “five or six” MLAs from the Nationalist Congress Party (SP) were restless and their future political path remained uncertain.
But the National Congress Party (Socialist Party) rejected this claim. Senior party leader Jayant Patil confirmed that all the eight MPs and 10 MLAs remained united and said it was inappropriate for leaders of one party to speculate on the internal affairs of another party.
Separately, Sule also dismissed speculation about a possible merger between the NCP and the Congress.
“NCP is not involved in any merger talks. We have not received any proposal from Congress nor have we given them any proposal regarding merger,” she said.
She emphasized that the two parties continued to work closely as allies in the MVA in Maharashtra and the India Bloc at the national level.
“The NCP and the Congress, as allies, have been together and will remain together,” Sule asserted.
