Mumbai: Even as senior NCP leaders denied their party was joining hands with the ruling NDA, political circles in the State are abuzz with rumours of top BJP and NCP leaders holding backdoor talks, but without desired results.
Sources in the NCP told The Hindu on condition of anonymity that Supriya Sule, Lok Sabha MP and daughter of NCP chief Sharad Pawar, strongly objected to the party joining hands with the BJP. On Monday, Ms. Sule told reporters in Pandharpur that the NCP has no plans join the NDA, and only the Congress is ready to throw in its lot with the NDA.
Throughout Monday, rumours were doing the rounds that the NCP was negotiating for Union Cabinet berths. Reports suggested Mr. Pawar would also be a minister in the Union Cabinet. With Ms. Sule publicly denying any such possibility, former Union Minister and Mr Pawar’s trusted aide, Praful Patel, tweeted, “There is no basis for speculation that NCP is joining government in Delhi.” State BJP chief Raosaheb Danave said, “As of now, there is no such proposal before the party.”
Sources in the BJP and NCP, however, confirmed talks between leaders of both the parties did take place. A meeting with senior NCP leaders was to be held in New Delhi on Monday, which was cancelled after realising the deal for ministerial berths was not moving forward, and Ms. Sule was firm in her opposition to the plan. “One of the hurdles was NCP’s demands of key posts in the State cabinet. The BJP is not ready to part with lucrative positions,” a senior NCP leader said.
Senior NCP functionaries face the threat of being probed for corruption. Former Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and Irrigation Minister Sunil Tatkare face inquiries in the alleged irrigation scam.
The CBI is probing alleged irregularities in the purchase or hiring of 111 aircraft for national carriers that had cost about ₹70,000 crore to Air India when Mr Patel was Civil Aviation Minister.
