Nagpur, Nov 7 (PTI) Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday said the NCP and NCP (SP) were independent parties and would take their own decisions on reports of a possible merger, asserting that the BJP-led NDA would be consulted if any such move was being considered.
Speaking to reporters in Nagpur, Fadnavis was asked about NCP leader Sunil Tatkare’s recent statement and reports of discussions between the two factions on coming together.
The CM said the two were separate political parties and would take their own decisions. While Sharad Pawar leads the NCP (SP), Deputy CM Sunetra Pawar heads the NCP, an NDA ally and a partner in the ruling Mahayuti coalition in the state.
Fadnavis said it would not be appropriate for him to comment on behalf of the two parties, adding that the two sides would decide their own course of action.
“What I am certain about is that if they decide to take such a step, or if discussions are underway, they will consult us as well. We are the major partner in the Mahayuti alliance and in the NDA.
“As of today, neither side has consulted us or informed us that such discussions are taking place. If they are, they will inform us, and once they do, we will respond,” he said.
Amid a viral video of senior NCP leader Praful Patel visiting Sharad Pawar at a Mumbai hospital and discussing a possible meeting after November 10, his party colleague Sunil Tatkare had said the merger of the two factions would have happened in February this year if Ajit Pawar, who headed the party then, were alive.
The two developments have once again sparked speculation about the merger of the two factions of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).
On criticism of the state government’s recent decision concerning Gokul Dairy, Fadnavis dismissed suggestions that the government wanted to take over the cooperative.
“The idea that the state government wants to take over Gokul Dairy or something like that is wrong. The Gokul election involved around 5,000 voters. It is an organisation confined to one district, with influence mainly in a few talukas,” he said.
Therefore, there is no reason to believe that the state government is keen to do something for just one such organisation, the CM said. “In fact, I would go further and say that the state government does not even need to do this,” Fadnavis said.
In the recent elections to the Kolhapur District Cooperative Milk Producers’ Union, better known as Gokul Dairy, the Rajarshi Shahu Shetkari Samavichari Aghadi, backed by Congress MLC Satej Patil, won 13 of the 25 seats. The panel supported by the BJP-led Mahayuti secured 12.
The chairman’s post has remained vacant because election meetings failed to get the required quorum of 14 directors.
The state cabinet has approved a proposal that could fundamentally alter the balance of power in the cooperative, giving the government power to appoint five directors to its board, four of them with voting rights. This will likely tilt the balance at Gokul in favour of the Mahayuti-backed panel.
Earlier, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had slammed the decision, accusing the BJP-led Maharashtra government of "theft of milk producers' votes" and "adulteration in the mandate".
Fadnavis said the two sides should resolve their differences through discussions rather than involving the government.
“Even today, my view is that if both groups sit together and arrive at a decision, there would be no need for these people to be involved either…The government will not send anyone. It has no interest in sending anyone. The government only has a legal responsibility to fulfil if a legal crisis arises,” he said.
